Kingdom Hearts: For True Story
by INFERNOX
Summary: Post KH 358/2 Days. Roxas only wanted to get his friends back, but Riku prevented that from happening. What if Riku had lost the fight against Roxas in the end? This is what should've been KH2...Kingdom Hearts: For True Story.
1. The Dark City

**Okay, I know I have, like, three other fanfictions to be working on. BEFORE I START, HERE'S JUST SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW! Halo 3: Virtual is on hiatus until I know people actually read it. Sonic Chronicles: Wrenched Into Oblivion will have Chapter 7 soon! Sonic's Reality Check is coming along soon as well!**

**Now for the disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, DISNEY CORPORATION, OR ANY AFFILATES! I ALSO DO NOT OWN ANY POP-CULTURE REFERENCES MADE IN THIS FANFIC!**

**And finally…the foreshadowing part! What if Roxas had won in the fight with Riku at the end of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days? This is what should've been the truly epic Kingdom Hearts finale…**

_**Kingdom Hearts: For True Story**_

_Chapter One: The Dark City_

Rain was falling down on the desolate and empty streets of the Dark City. Looking in the sky, one could see a giant white castle that seemed to be floating. Above and beyond the castle was a giant, heart-shaped moon that set a pale light upon the city itself. Panning the camera back, one could see two beings standing in front of a dark skyscraper. One being had a black cloak on, and the hood was up, covering his face. This cloaked being had two swords in hand: one sword was as black as night, with the other one being as white as pure light, with a snowflake pattern on the end. The second being was lying on the ground, knocked out. The second being had a dark band tied around his eyes, and he was wearing a similar dark cloak as the first being. The second being also had grey hair, and he seemed to be a teenager. The first being looked at him, until some echoing dialogue was heard, presumably from the first being having a flashback.

"_Why!? Why do you have the Keyblade!?" _a voice yelled. Going into the first person's mind, one could see the grey-haired teen from before sitting on the ground, presumably from being knocked down. The other being was staring down at him, about to attack.

"_Shut up!" _the being yelled. Bringing down what the grey-haired teen called the 'Keyblade' towards the teen, the teen tried to dodge this blow with the sword he had, which was the black sword he had stolen from the first being. The being about to strike predicted this block, and stopped his descent short of the blade. With no impact on the sword, the grey-haired teen let his guard down, confused. The first being then continued his attack, striking down the teen in a single blow. The teen fell over, not dead but knocked out. The winner summoned both his Keyblades, and then looked on at the heart-shaped moon. Going back to present time, this hooded being walked towards the direction of the moon, going up a steep incline in the Dark City while doing so. He seemed to be crying, as water droplets were coming down irregularly from the inside of his hood. But perhaps it was only the dripping water from the rain above…

* * *

Behind the being who left, a dark hole opened up literally out of nowhere. Out of the hole emerged a man clad in red armor, with red bandages covering his face, sans his mouth and left eye. The man in red turned to look at the knocked out teenager lying on the ground.

"Riku…" the man asked in a deep and booming voice. "…where has Roxas gone?"

The teen, Riku, laid there, not responding. From out of the same dark hole, a girl walked out. The girl had on a white one piece dress that went down to her knees. The girl had long, blonde hair, and she seemed to be worried.

"DiZ, please! We have to get Riku medical attention! And…and Roxas…" the girl mentioned, starting to sob. The man just grunted in annoyance.

"Namine, don't try to sway me with your false emotions. Just like Roxas, you are a Nobody; devoid of emotions. I know what needs to be done here," the man, DiZ, replied. Namine seemed shocked and hurt by this comment, but she backed down, still giving off a sad emotion. DiZ walked over to the defeated Riku and picked him up in both arms. DiZ then walked back into the dark hole, with Namine following.

"_Organization XIII will be destroyed. But first we need Roxas to come to us…" _DiZ thought. The dark hole disappeared when he and Namine successfully walked through, leaving no trace of them ever being there.

* * *

Panning back to the being from before, he was now standing in front of a path made out of light. The path of light lead directly into the floating white castle, with no twists, turns, or splitting paths. The being stood there, staring at the castle. The being then walked up the pathway of light, heading into the castle. While doing so, another voice is heard; a girl's voice, and from the sound of it, she was in pain. This voice was also from the being's flashback.

"_Roxas…I need you…to do me a favor…" _the girl's voice asked in a hoarse whisper. The being then went into his flashback, and the scenery changed from the drab and dark city to a brighter town. The town was vibrant in color, with the fall-color oriented bricks matching nicely with the sky's sunset's mixture of orange, red, and yellow. This was not the case, however; the camera focused on two beings in dark cloaks in front of a tower that read "Station Plaza." Both cloaked beings had their hoods down; one cloaked being was a boy with spiky, blonde hair and blue eyes. The other being was a girl with blue eyes and short, black hair. The girl seemed to be fading away, as traces of her own body were leaving her in a literal format, disappearing into the air like how water evaporates. Her legs were frozen solid, and the ice was inching up her legs, onto her cloak, and was getting closer to the rest of her body. The boy had her one hand in his, and he was holding her up with his other hand. The girl's eyes shut in pain for a moment, then they opened again, staring directly into the boy's eyes.

"_All those hearts I've captured…" _the girl began, her voice becoming more hoarse every passing moment. "_…Kingdom Hearts…set them free…"_

The boy, Roxas, looked down at her in confusion. "Kingdom Hearts…free them?" he asked, seeming to understand what the girl was asking. The ice then advanced up the girl's body, covering her legs up to her stomach. She winced in pain, and the wisps of light coming out of her began to increase.

"_It is too late…for me to undo my mistakes…" _the girl started, now close to tears. "_…but you can't…let Xemnas have Kingdom Hearts…you can't…"_

Roxas just stared down at the girl he was holding; the girl he was such close friends with for nearly a year. A year that went by too fast…

"_…good-bye…Roxas…" _the girl sadly stated. This got Roxas's attention, and he felt nearly close to tears. "_I'm glad…to have met you…oh…and Axel, too…you're both my best friends…"_

The ice was now at her chest area, and was advancing closer and closer to her neck. She reached up one arm that was not covered in ice yet, and lightly touched Roxas's cheek with it, holding his face in one hand. "_…never forget…that's the truth…"_

These were the girl's final words, as the ice got up to her neck and began to drift down her arms. Her hand that was on Roxas's face began to fall, and Roxas grabbed it with his spare hand.

"_NO!" _Roxas began, trying to deny the fact that his closest friend was disappearing. "_Xion…who else will I have ice cream with?"_

The girl, Xion, closed her eyes after one last look at her best friend, before the ice covered her own face. Her body began glowing radiantly, and the rest of her body evaporated into small light shards that disappeared quickly. Roxas looked up as he saw the fragments of his friend disappear into the sunset sky. Looking back down, Roxas saw one thing left of his friend: a seashell. Picking it up, Roxas remembered it was the same seashell he had given Xion when she had awoken from what he assumed was a deep coma. Roxas then shed a tear for his fallen friend.

"_…Xion…" _Roxas sobbed, trying to control his sadness. Going back to reality, the black-cloaked being kept walking up the light pathway, and one could definitely see a teardrop fall from his hood.

"Xion…I will free Kingdom Hearts…we can go on having ice cream again…that's…that's what you wanted…right…?" the being asked, crying as he did so. The being began to shake profusely, so much that he stopped right in the middle of the pathway to light. The being then took off his hood, and his face was revealed to be Roxas. Roxas cried for a good half-minute, then he took his Keyblades and stared at the entrance of the castle.

"ORGANIZATION XIII!" he screamed. Roxas then charged into the base, eyes burning with tears, as said tears streamed alongside him as he ran. Those tears fell onto the pathway of light, which were mixed with the raindrops falling from the heavy rainstorm falling above. The teardrops themselves were swept away by the rain, and Roxas got himself ready for what he believed was his final battle.

* * *

Inside the castle, there was a room with 13 chairs that looked like pillars. Sitting in the highest chair was a man with grey hair and tiger-like eyes. A dark portal appeared on one of the chairs, and a man with an "X" scar on his face appeared. This man also had light blue hair.

"Lord Xemnas, we have noticed Roxas is attempting to return into our castle. What should we do?" the man asked. Xemnas, the grey-haired man, looked at his accomplice.

"Sai"X…" Xemnas began. Sai"X, the blue-haired man, listened intently.

"Let Roxas make his decision. Don't give him a straight-up question; I want you to ask him this simple question, and his answer will determine his fate," Xemnas explained.

"What would be this question?" Sai"X asked.

"'Have you returned for sorrow, or for revenge?'" Xemnas stated. Sai"X nodded.

"Which answer is the one you are looking for?" Sai"X asked.

"If he answers 'sorrow,' he wishes to apologize for his misdeeds by leaving the Organization. Since he was forced to kill Xion anyway, he has already made the pathway set for our plans to unlock Kingdom Hearts's power," Xemnas explained. "In that case, he will be inducted back into our Organization, and he can live amongst us again."

"And if he answers 'revenge?'" Sai"X wondered. Xemnas sat there silently for a good amount of time. Sai"X got what Xemnas had meant by that silence, and Sai"X teleported away, using a dark hole he had conjoured up.

**That's Chapter One! I know it's WAY shorter than my usual chapters, but I think it'll suffice. And man, I am literally sobbing when I write this. This is just torment for Roxas.**

**The only thing I have to contradict Roxas on is this: "Who else will I have ice cream with?" I don't know about you, but that sentence kinda threw me off when I heard him say that in KH 358/2 Days. But since he can't understand emotions, especially love, because he is devoid of them, I can let it slide. Review and tell me what you think!**


	2. Organization XIII's Stronghold

**Here's Chapter Two! I surmise this fic will be pretty good, cuz I uploaded it at about 5 PM (my local time) on 10/9/09, and about 4 hours later I already had 20 hits! Man, that's quick! Anyways, here's Chapter Two!**

_Chapter Two: Organization XIII's Stronghold_

The rain came down steadily outside, but Roxas couldn't focus upon it. All his mind was telling him to do was to make his body produce the efforts needed to get into the Organization's stronghold.

"_Slash, spin, slash, repeat, slash, spin, slash, repeat…" _were the only thoughts going through Roxas's mind while he effortlessly eliminated various Dusks and Samurais as they appeared. No, this is inaccurate: Roxas wasn't even thinking. His body was producing the movements needed to cut down the opposition; it was as if Roxas was the wind, and the Nobodies he was slaying every second was just the grass. Roxas was barely halfway through the Nothing's Call when he was ambushed from both sides by Assassin Nobodies. Without thinking, Roxas spun himself in a complete 360, doing a circular spin slash attack with his Keyblades. When he stuck the landing, nearly every Nobody within his striking distance was killed. Roxas kept running forward, slashing each and every Nobody in half, feeling just as emotionless as his first week as a Nobody. No, this is also inaccurate: Roxas had four emotions boiling over inside of him. When he attacked and killed three Dusks in front of him with one strike, he felt pure red-hot rage. When he pulled back his sword, ready to strike any more foes, he felt an icy cold feeling of desperation. When he charged at more Nobodies, who were also charging at him, he felt his tears streaming down the side of his face; sadness. While he cut down the Nobodies charging at him from the front, he felt his fourth emotion; one that surpassed all the others. He gasped a little when he made the connection between this emotion and his thoughts, though his surprise was muted from his facial tone when he turned around to slice and dice an Assassin Nobody sneaking up behind him.

_"This emotion…this fervent passion…is this what Xaldin meant? Is this…love…?" _Roxas thought in the small second he realized what his mind was telling him.

* * *

The scenery changed from the Nothing's Call to an old mansion deep in the woods. On the grounds of the mansion, inside the mansion's walls, stood relics of a past time; ancient marble sculptures that were broken down to mere stumps of imperfection, with weeds dancing around atop and around them. DiZ walked by these once-marvelous art masterpieces, carrying the now semi-conscious Riku in his arms. Namine followed by hastily, although she seemed like her mind was elsewhere. DiZ and Namine reached the entrance to the mansion, which was a giant door; the kind of door you would expect to see from someone who owned a fancy mansion. The door itself must have cost quite a lot back in the day; even though it had been deteriorated from age, one could notice the lush, red, and velvety appearance of the leather decorations upon the door. Other than that, and the brass doorknob, the door was pretty much plain. DiZ and Namine stood there, seeming to wait. After a couple of seconds have passed, DiZ turned to Namine.

"Namine…" DiZ began, almost as if he was commanding her. Namine looked up, obviously snapped from her daydream she was having.

"Y…yes, DiZ?" Namine asked, nervous.

"The door," DiZ commanded, implying for Namine to open the door for him. Namine sighed, and she, with a bit of difficulty, opened the heavy door leading to the mansion's lobby. DiZ, without even uttering a simple 'thank you,' walked into the room. Namine just shut the heavy door again, catching her breath after she did so.

"_You could at least thank me for once. Just because I'm a Nobody doesn't mean I don't have dignity…" _Namine thought, before she erased that thought from her mind. "_What am I thinking? I'm a Nobody; we have no dignity…"_

"Namine!" DiZ snapped, breaking Namine's trance again. DiZ looked at her, obviously annoyed. Namine looked at DiZ, and saw he was already at the top of the mansion's stairwell, yet in front of a second door. Namine sighed, then walked up the staircase leading to where DiZ was. The stairs creaked under Namine, and dust clouds puffed up every time she made a footfall. Looking around, the mansion's interior was in a decrepit state. The checkered linoleum floors were dusty to the point that you can easily tell where someone walked, as if they had just left mud tracks on the floor. There were many fading paintings hung around the room, and there was also many broken statues and objects cluttering the sides of the floor. Namine didn't gawk or gaze at these broken objects in disgust like DiZ or any other normal person; she felt a connection to them, since she felt the same way as those objects that were taken for granted: broken, rolled up, tossed aside…the works. Namine opened the door an impatient DiZ was standing in front of, and the door led to a library. The library, however, was more than just a normal library. As DiZ walked in, he made a sharp left, walking past a stone statue of a phoenix, and he walked down some stairs going into the floor. Namine followed DiZ, seeming to phase through the floor as she did so. When Namine opened her eyes, she saw DiZ walking towards an open corridor leading downstairs. Namine, looking up, saw that the holographic image of the library's floor was still there.

"_At least this should keep us covered…for now," _Namine thought, before following DiZ downstairs.

* * *

"_Jump, slice, spin, dash, repeat…" _Roxas thought…no, his body just conveyed these automatic, and somewhat robotic, movements. Roxas had made it past the Nothing's Call and had successfully bashed through an ambush waiting for him in the Crooked Ascension. Twilight's View was only a step away from the lower interior of the Organization's castle, but he has never expected to come across a Berserker here. Roxas jumped into the air and tried to slice at the Berserker. The Berserks swung his hammer in front of Roxas's Keyblade, absorbing and nullifying most of the damage. Some of the Keyblade still hit the Berserker's flesh, damaging the Nobody. The Berserker then shrunk to a miniscule size, and his hammer began slamming into the ground towards Roxas at great speeds. Roxas anticipated this and dodged out of the way, dashing relentlessly as he did so. When the Berserker returned to normal size, Roxas again charged at the Berserker to try cutting it down to size. This time, the Keyblade made contact with its flesh and torn right through it, ending the Nobody's misery in one blow. Roxas stood there, seeming to take in the kill, before turning around and walking up some stairs into a corridor.

"_The Hall Of Empty Melodies…" _Roxas thought, as he entered said hall through the corridor he entered. The Hall Of Empty Melodies was comprised of two floors: the top floor being an overlook, with the bottom floor being a simple straight pathway leading to a door. In the pathway, however, was a large square of metal, perfect for an ambush…Roxas walked quietly, as if trying to avoid his already-known detection. When he walked upon the square, however, the straight pathway leading to his continued path disappeared. Looking behind him in surprise, Roxas also saw the path behind him had disappeared too. The only thing Roxas was standing upon was the large square of metal.

"_…uh-oh…" _Roxas thought. At that moment, a dark hole opened up on the other side of the square of metal, directly parallel to Roxas. Roxas drew his Keyblades, and out of the dark hole stepped Sai"X. Sai"X stared blankly at Roxas.

"Sorrow or revenge?" Sai"X asked bluntly. Roxas spun his Keyblades around in hand, before gripped them tighter in a cool action pose.

"Why don't you tell me?" Roxas replied coldly. Sai"X just stared at what used to be Number XIII of Organization XIII.

"…that is your decision, then?" Sai"X asked rhetorically, before summoning a large claymore with a lunar pattern on it.

"You called her a fake…" Roxas growled in a low voice. This startled Sai"X but it didn't shake his guard.

"…you called her a mistake…a puppet…a useless piece of…of…" Roxas began, before breaking down in tears.

"WHAT DID XION EVER DO TO YOU!?" Roxas screamed. His scream echoed through the empty halls of the Organization's castle, echoing and vibrating in such a fashion that Xemnas, even atop his throne chair in a different room deep within the castle, heard Roxas's scream. Xemnas seemed to clasp his hands together, and he let out a sigh of annoyance.

"_Roxas…wrong choice, my friend…" _Xemnas thought. Going back to Sai"X and Roxas, Roxas was shaking to an extreme, tears streaming down his cheeks. His eyes were glassy, but they weren't shutting. His teeth were clenched together in rage and fury.

"Xion's fault to us was her mere existing. She didn't follow her expectations, and she had to be eliminated. She only made it easier by trying to kill you; we didn't have to waste another day giving one of our members such a mission," Sai"X explained, scoffing at Roxas's feelings. Roxas then snapped.

"MERE EXISTANCE!? She…she…she…SHE WAS MY FRIEND, AND YOU DARE SCOFF AT THAT!?" Roxas shouted, tears falling like a waterfall. "And all you see from her…is just…another Mission Target needing to be…DESTROYED!?"

"Pff. Friendship. A useless emotion. You should be glad you've no friends; that means there are no ties that you can suffer from," Sai"X mocked. Roxas couldn't take it anymore.

"BECAUSE OF YOU, MY FRIENDS AND I WILL NEVER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN! Unless…unless…I do what Xion asked for me to do…in her final, dying wish…" Roxas screeched, eyes now a puffy red from tears. "…free Kingdom Hearts from your control!"

Sai"X stepped back, stunned. Then his facial expression turned angry. "Your emotions are non-existent. So, tell me, Roxas…why do you fight for something that's useless to you now?"

Roxas seemed to think it over, but only momentarily. Roxas got his Keyblades ready for combat, as he got in his battle pose. "This is why, Sai"X: because even if I lack a heart…even if I lack emotions…even if I lack purpose…that does not mean I lack a will."

**Sai"X fights Roxas next chapter. I would've made it longer, but I am getting tired. See you soon!**

**Also, I prefer putting Sai"X like that instead of just Saix. It's become kind of a reflex for me, and I'm just planning to keep it that way. I mean, who wouldn't want to have quotes in their own name? =D**


	3. Unawakening: The Thirteenth Retribution

**Chapter 3 is going to be substantially longer than the previous chapters. Hope you guys have fun with it! Also my Halo 3 parody has been taken down until I finish other stories. But that doesn't mean I'm not WORKING on the other chapters…expect a good present in the future for those who like my stories! Now, Chapter 3 of my angst-filled adventure! Also, for the fight sequence, I would recommend playing the 13****th**** Dilemma or the 13****th**** Struggle. Whichever one works. Now, I begin!**

_Chapter Three: Unawakening: The Thirteenth's Retribution_

Clash after clash of clanging weaponry was heard throughout the hearing distance of the castle. Sai"X's claymore was bashing against Roxas's dual Keyblades. Roxas just stared in anger, showing no emotion whatsoever, which, in retrospect, wasn't really that hard. Sai"X then jumped up into the air, claymore in hand.

"Moon shine down!" Sai"X bellowed, and in that instant, Sai"X began glowing an electrical blue. Roxas just stared at him in disgust. Sai"X charged down again to smash Roxas's head in, but Roxas did a High Jump, flying directly past Sai"X as he smashed his claymore into the ground. Turning around to strike at Roxas again, Sai"X was greeted by a jolt of lightning from above. Roxas landed on the ground, determined.

"Thundaga magic? You honestly think that can stop me?" Sai"X mocked. Sai"X charged at Roxas again, but Roxas just stood there, face blank. Sai"X then got suspicious, but it was too late. Roxas jumped over Sai"X, barely missing the edge of his claymore. Sai"X then ran into the perimeter of a ball of ice, which exploded and froze Sai"X through. Roxas took this opportunity to fire a large fireball attack at him, before setting another ice ball spell in front of Sai"X. Sai"X was melted free of the ice, but then he was refrozen by the next ice bomb. This time, Roxas used his Keyblades and slashed at Sai"X relentlessly, effectively ending Sai"X's moon-powered spree by slashing directly through the ice. The ice shattered upon impact, and Sai"X's electrical blue power faded, as he lay on the ground, gasping to catch his breath. Sai"X turned around, angry, but smirking.

"…commendable…effort, Roxas…" Sai"X complimented. "A BFBS combination strike is a difficult one to pull off. I never expected you to master the Blizzaga or Firaga spells, so I'm surprisingly blown away."

Roxas just scowled. "You don't compliment people. What are you planning?"

Sai"X then smiled evilly. "You are smarter than I thought, Rox-!" Sai"X never finished that, as he was hit with another Thundaga spell. As Sai"X was stumbling to get back up, he was hit by another slashing combination by Roxas, which launched Sai"X into the air. As Sai"X summoned his claymore again to try and harm Roxas, Roxas created a dark portal behind him, backflipped into it, and popped out right next to Sai"X in midair, kicking him in the ribcage with such a force that a loud crack was heard. This was presumably Sai"X's ribs breaking. As Sai"X grunted in pain, Roxas unleashed more slashing combo attacks on him, before firing a barrage of Fire spells at Sai"X. These simple Fire spells couldn't do as much as a Firaga spell, but firing a lot of them can be just as devastating. Sai"X couldn't take any more, and he fell over, using his claymore as simple leverage. Sai"X was panting heavily, while Roxas didn't even break a sweat. The pathway leading upwards into the castle was reestablished, and Roxas silently walked across the path to lead upstairs. This was his biggest mistake.

* * *

Namine and DiZ were staring at what looked to be a gigantic mechanical white flower pod. The flower pod device was mainly white tile, but there was a translucent part on the front that showed a boy. This boy looked very similar to Roxas, with the same spiky hairstyle, but a pure brown color instead of a golden color. DiZ looked disgusted at simply seeing the boy asleep.

"Namine…do you have any thought on how to recapture Roxas?" DiZ asked. Namine just shook her head.

"I'm sorry, DiZ. I just don't know…" Namine whimpered. DiZ looked away scowling.

"I can handle your decision, or rather, INdecision, Namine…but I could do without your incessant non-existing tears. You're a Nobody; start acting like it," DiZ sighed, before turning around to a semi-conscious Riku, who was trying to stand up. Namine turned around, now red-faced and angry.

"What if I like acting this way!?" Namine shouted angrily. DiZ just smiled.

"Now you think you're angry…you really amaze me with your persistence to make me believe that you actually have emotions," DiZ retorted. Namine seemed shocked by this, and she turned back to the unconscious boy in the flower pod. As for DiZ, he walked over to the wobbly Riku and helped him up.

"Riku, I presume you lost the fight against Roxas," DiZ asked.

"We have to return to the Castle That Never Was quickly!" Riku replied, now worried. DiZ looked at Riku in confusion.

"What do you mean?" DiZ asked, confused.

"Roxas is in trouble! The Organization will destroy him!" Riku pleaded, now worried. DiZ just frowned.

"Why are you caring for a Nobody?" DiZ questioned.

"It's not Roxas's life I'm worried about; if Roxas dies, Sora will never wake," Riku explained. Namine heard this, and screamed loudly. This scared both Riku and DiZ, and DiZ turned around angry.

"NAMINE! Are you trying to alert the Dusks to our location!?" DiZ threatened.

"You both are just self-centered and cheap! All you care about is Sora! Roxas deserves better! And out of everyone here, YOU'RE the one who should believe that the most, Riku!" Namine accused. DiZ and Riku stepped back in shock.

"Whatever. Roxas is all of our targets; we need him," Riku sighed.

"No! YOU need to USE him so you're 'alleged' best friend wakes up!" Namine screamed, making air quotes at the word "alleged." "I'm done with this! Sora's memories are already put into place! So if I leave now, there would be no change in YOUR plans whatsoever!"

At that moment, Namine pulled open a dark hole, picked up her notebook, and she ran through, crying. Riku seemed surprised and tried to chase after her, but DiZ held him back.

"Let her go. That annoying little witch already had no use for us anymore anyway…" DiZ cruelly explained.

* * *

Roxas was beaten to a pulp, lying on the ground, scratches on his face. His black cloak was ripped apart, showing Roxas's normal street clothing underneath. His street clothing looked like a black undershirt with a white jacket on top. He also was wearing brown pants. Both his Keyblades were out of his reach, and there were six spears jutting through his clothing fabrics, keeping him pinned to the floor. Standing over him were Xemnas on his left, Sai"X (still badly injured and humorously crackling with electricity, with some of his hair still on fire), and a third man standing directly in front of him. This man had long, black hair that looked like a spider. The man stared at Roxas, emotionless and unmoving.

"Xaldin, I commend you on your surprise attack on Roxas," Xemnas stated. Xaldin nodded, eyes still focused on Roxas, who was struggling to escape.

"Pathetic brat. You never should've left," Sai"X said through gritted teeth.

"Sai"X, I am truly disappointed in you…" Xemnas sighed. This caught Sai"X's attention.

"What do you mean?" Sai"X asked.

"You spent too much time chattering away, making idle threats, and announcing, or at least IMPLYING, your next move," Xemnas reprimanded. "You didn't even change your attack strategy when it was failing…"

"But, Lord Xemnas, I…" Sai"X began. Xemnas held up a hand and dismissed his explanation.

"I do not require tales of folly to lessen the blame on yourself," Xemnas commented. "You are not fit to be our second-in-command anymore."

Sai"X's face was shocked purely. He dropped his claymore, and it landed with a loud thud behind him. All the color from Sai"X's face drained away in that instant.

"What…are you saying?" Sai"X asked, not wanting to believe what was going on.

"Xaldin wasted no time in pinning down the traitor Roxas," Xemnas explained. "In your case, you used the same strategy, announced your plans, and so on. I replaced Xaldin with you because I saw something within your power that would be of use to us…but no more."

Sai"X gaped. "Sai"X, you're demoted. Xaldin, I welcome you back to the second-in-command status," Xemnas announced. "I will hold a formal celebration later tonight. You may go."

Xaldin stared at Roxas, before turning to Xemnas. Xaldin nodded at Xemnas, and he left. His spears also disappeared, but Roxas was too worn out to even move a finger. Sai"X began to twitch.

"Lord…Lord Xemnas…PLEASE! I can make it up to you!" Sai"X pleaded. Xemnas stared at Sai"X menacingly.

"This is a great embarrassment for you, I'm sure," Xemnas pointed out. "But I will be lenient and let you kill off Roxas on your own terms."

Sai"X's face was still pale, but he got some of his composure back when Xemnas finished. "Fine, I'll take out this sham."

A loud mechanical screech was heard, blaring through Xemnas's, Sai"X's, and Roxas's eardrums. Roxas moaned in pain by the loud screech, Sai"X grabbed his head and fell to the floor, and Xemnas endured it, even though his eyes were shut. After the loud screech subsided, a voice was heard in all three of the Nobodies' heads.

"_What gives you the right to say that!?" _a familiar voice screamed. At that moment, the screeching and the voices stopped for a split second as everyone realized who that voice belonged to. The next moment, a dark portal opened below Roxas and he fell in, disappearing. Sai"X stared in disbelief, and Xemnas sighed.

"Sai"X…" Xemnas began. Sai"X lost his composure again.

"Lord Xemnas, I swear, I didn't expect this!" Sai"X began, but Xemnas raised his hand and silenced him.

"Sai"X, I want you to continue our Replica Program that Vexen created. Make enough clones to refit all of our lost members…and give them anagram-type names that can be traced to real names," Xemnas ordered. Sai"X seemed surprised by this.

"But sir…I thought…" Sai"X began.

"Roxas is a troublesome one, and we still have to locate Sora and that fake who wears our Organization's coat," Xemnas explained. "Replacing the fallen members with Replicas will not ensure victory, but I assume the odds will tip in our favor."

With that, Xemnas left the area through his own dark portal. Sai"X was left standing there, staring at nothing in disbelief.

"_But what if each Replica behaves like…Xion?" _Sai"X thought, now worried.

**This one took me a while to make, but I hope you guys enjoy it! And I know Sai"X doesn't have emotions, but I figure: he's supposed to be a calm villain, yet when the chips are down he goes frantic. Makes sense to me that he'd be worried about demotion. Well, review and tell me what you think!**


	4. The Hunt For Roxas Begins

**Been a while since you heard from me on this story, huh? Well, wait no longer! Chapter 4 is here! REVIEW!**

_Chapter Four: The Hunt For Roxas Begins_

The screen showed a large town. Not many people were outside at this hour, and the sky appeared to be either welcoming the rising sun or falling prey to the darkness of dusk. The camera centered on a small marketplace with several buildings. One of them was an armory shop, one was a item shop, one building looked like a giant refrigerator, and the final memorable building had what seemed to be a floating pig hovering behind the counter. Other than the pig, no one was out and about in this area. The camera went up a stone stairwell that led behind some tall houses to an otherwise unmemorable back alley. A dark portal opened above said alley hidden out of sight from the alleged marketplace. Roxas fell out of the portal, landing softly on the ground. Looking up, Roxas saw the sky, unsure of what time of day it was currently.

"_Weird…" _Roxas thought. Roxas tried sitting up, but a hand extended down in front of him. Roxas gasped in surprise, but when he looked up, he saw Namine. Namine smiled.

"You are Roxas, correct?" Namine asked politely. Roxas just stared at Namine's face, seeing a glimpse of Xion as he did so.

"_Xion…" _Roxas thought. Snapping back to reality, Roxas grabbed Namine's hand as she pulled him up gently. Roxas winced at some of his aches and pains from his brutal loss against Xaldin.

"Who are you? You look…you look just like…" Roxas began. Namine's smile turned to a frown.

"Xion. I know," Namine finished. Roxas looked surprised.

"How do you know about her?" Roxas asked in awe. "And why do you look so much like her?"

"…Xion…was created off of Sora's memories as you know," Namine began. "But as for me…well…it's hard to explain…"

"Please tell me," Roxas pleaded. "Look, I know I seem torn up right now, but I must know. I must free Kingdom Hearts…"

Namine seemed to gasp slightly at Roxas's mention of his goal. "…free Kingdom Hearts?" Namine squeaked.

"It…was her last wish…" Roxas trailed off in the end. Namine stared at Roxas, and Roxas stared back. They both continued to look into each other's eyes, trying to figure out not only each other, but themselves and the world existing around them. Roxas shed a small tear as he remembered Xion, and Namine caught this change in emotion.

"Roxas…you're crying," Namine pointed out softly.

"…I guess I am…or aren't I? I can never really tell; I'm just a lowlife Nobody, not meant to exist…" Roxas explained in a low tone, as he stared at the ground. Namine sighed, and she took Roxas's hand.

"Come on, Roxas. My name is Namine. I can help you…free Kingdom Hearts. For Xion," Namine offered, feeling remorse over knowing what had happened to Xion not too long ago. Roxas looked up into Namine's eyes.

"You…will? But you aren't involved in this…" Roxas wondered.

"…come with me, Roxas. I know a safe place for now where we can hide at," Namine offered. As Namine helped carry a limping Roxas around the corner of the alleyway they landed in, Namine shed a tear herself.

"_I'm sorry for lying, Roxas. I know I'm involved in this…but I will make things right…for you…and her…" _Namine thought, almost shutting her eyes completely out of sadness.

* * *

"Fellow Organization…we have a dire problem upon ourselves," Xemnas announced. Sitting in their own respective gleaming white marble chairs in the room they were at, Xemnas looked around at the remaining Organization members. Other than Xaldin and Sai"X, there was also a blonde man with a mustache-goatee combo, a brunette-haired man who looked like a easy-going teenager, a red-headed man with spiky hair, and an old man with several scars on his face and an eyepatch over his right eye socket.

"Roxas has become a great threat to us, and without out Keyblader, Kingdom Hearts will never be complete," Xemnas explained. "As we also know, Sora, the Keyblade Master, is part of Roxas and Xion in a way. I have a plan to end the charade once and for all."

Everyone looked up in anticipation. The red-headed man looked grim as Xemnas announced his plan. "If we destroy Roxas, he will eventually return to Sora. Since Xion is infused with Roxas, Sora will awaken. If Sora awakes…" Xemnas explained.

"…then we can use him to our advantage," Xaldin finished. Xemnas looked down at his new second-in-command, slyly smiling.

"Good observation, Number III," Xemnas commented. Xaldin kept looking up at Xemnas, but a faint grin slashed across his face.

"And speaking of Number III, I am pleased to announce our new second-in-command. Xaldin here has proven himself more worthy than Number VII to be my right-hand man," Xemnas explained. The man with the eyepatch chuckled a bit. Sai"X turned to him angry.

"What's so funny, Xigbar?" Sai"X asked angrily. Xigbar, the old man, looked down at Sai"X.

"It seems the moon man just got demoted. What'd you do this time?" Xigbar taunted. Sai"X got enraged, but Xemnas silenced him by speaking up again.

"He lost to Roxas in the most embarrassing manner," Xemnas revealed. Everyone looked at Sai"X in disgust, but Sai"X could note a slight smile on the red-headed man's face for a second.

"But I have good news as well," Xemnas stated, catching everyone's attention. "Thanks to the events that have transpired, we have restarted the Replica Program to fill in the spots of the Organization that were eliminated so callously not too long ago."

Everyone looked up in awe, before the click of walking feet on linoleum tile caught everyone's attention. Looking down, everyone saw a being in a black cloak walk into the middle of the room, standing atop the Organization's splintered upside-down heart symbol.

"Please welcome the replacement of Vexen, and our new Number IV: Sin Juxt, the Stoic Ranger. Just like Vexen, we have given him the power over ice and all under the cold's control," Xemnas announced. Sin Juxt flipped down his hood, revealing a teenage boy's face. This teen, however, had a dark blonde hair color with gleaming green eyes. Sin Juxt was holding what seemed to be a crossbow and arrow combination as a weapon in his right hand. Sin Juxt looked up at Xemnas, eyes filled with nothing. Xigbar smiled.

"Well, he seems like a toughie, doesn't he?" Xigbar noted. Xemnas turned to Xigbar.

"Yes, and considering his weapon, I wish for you to be his mentor until I assign him his first proper mission," Xemnas ordered.

"No prob, boss man," Xigbar replied smoothly. Xemnas rolled his eyes, and he looked down past Sin Juxt. Walking up behind him was a tall and tough-looking figure. Flipping down his hood, one could see another teenage boy. This teen had flat, brown hair, and he was holding what seemed to be a large axe in his right hand. The teen also had several scars going down his black eyes to below his chin, creating a tiger-like effect.

"Our next new member is Lexaeus's replacement: Number V, Phosnext, Ruler of Earth. And, as the name suggests, his axe gives him control over the Earth and all its glory," Xemnas explained. Phosnext just looked around at his fellow Organization members. Sai"X looked down at Phosnext with curiosity.

"Sai"X, because of his weapon, I will assign you to him as a mentor. Please do not disappoint me; he looks to be promising," Xemnas commanded. Sai"X looked down sternly at Phosnext, who returned an equally-oppressive stare. The stare was broken when another Organization member walked in. This Organization member was just as tall as Phosnext, and he flipped down his hood, revealing a guy with flat, black hair and red eyes. This teen had a plain face, and he was holding what seemed to be a large X with the Organization's symbol at the end in his right hand.

"This one is Zexion's replacement: Number VI, Elinx, the Illusory Punisher. Again, like Zexion, he controls the illusions and memories of others. As for his mentor…I assign Luxord," Xemnas ordered, pointing to the blonde man with the mustache-goatee combo. Luxord just smiled evilly.

"So, fate has played you into my hand, has it? So be it; fate controls destiny, but destiny can be altered by mere decisions," Luxord, the goatee man, ominously stated. Elinx's eyes seemed to shine with interest over this man, but Elinx continued looking on, emotionless. The next Organization member that walked in already had his hood flipped down. This teenager boy had a face covered with evil-looking craters, most likely from popped pimples when he was a Somebody. The new teen also had flat, blonde hair, and he sported a mustache with a small amount of peach fuzz. The teen also was holding a spear, decorated with spikes on all parts of it, minus the handle.

"I would like to introduce Marluxia's replacement: Number XI, Alexx, the Dragon Assassin. We have given him power over the essence of life, like Marluxia. As for his temporary mentor, I will assign Demyx," Xemnas ordered. Demyx looked up at Xemnas with a pouty face.

"Aw, man. I have to work more! Jeez, THIS'LL be fun…" Demyx noted sarcastically. The next Organization newbie then walked in. This being was a short teenage boy with flat, brown hair. The teen had tanned skin, and he was holding what appeared to be a hand cannon in his right hand. The teen looked around, observing everything he saw.

"Our next member is Larxene's replacement: Number XII, Exsan, the Fate's Escapist. We have given him power over the Electronic Arts (**isn't that a video game company?**). As for his mentor, I will personally oversee him," Xemnas explained. This earned quite a small tone of confused voices to begin talking, but Xemnas silenced them all with the raising of his hand.

"We have two final members to introduce," Xemnas announced as the second-to-last member walked in. This member was the second-shortest of them all, only barely beating Exsan in height. This member had flat, brown hair, along with a pale face. This member had what seemed to be a staff embedded with black gemstones. At the tip of the staff was a white sphere with a grey Organization symbol floating in a strange mist inside the sphere.

"Our second-to-last member is the replacement of Roxas: Number XIII, Stexven, the Obliterator of Betrayal. He has been given the power over light, and I am sure he would be of good use to us. I am assigning to him Xaldin," Xemnas issued. Xaldin looked down upon Stexven, and Stexven looked back, emotionless. The final new member walked in slowly. This new member was the tallest of the newbies. The new member had golden-brown hair that was curly; it looked to form what seemed to be a simple puffy hairstyle. The new member did not have any weapon in hand, and he looked around, curious about his surroundings.

"This final member is our new Number XIV: Cxnik, Seeker Of Destiny. I will assign him Axel as his mentor," Xemnas explained. The red-headed man, Axel, looked up at Xemnas.

"Well, that's fine with me, but what about his powers?" Axel asked. Everyone else in the Organization looked up at Xemnas, who remained silent as he studied Cxnik's eyes. Sai"X recognized this expression immediately.

"Xemnas…do you even know his powers?" Sai"X asked. Xemnas continued to stare down at the new recruits of the Organization, as quiet as…nothing itself.

* * *

"So…we have gained progress, then reached a second standstill. Is this what I am hearing?" DiZ asked Riku. Riku turned to DiZ.

"Whenever Xion perished, she merged with Roxas. Of course, before she did, she was slowly losing some memories of Kairi, and they returned to Sora," Riku mentioned. "So, I would say Sora has been regaining his memory, albeit slowly. But unless we can get Roxas…"

"…Sora shan't ever awaken," DiZ concluded. Both Riku and DiZ stared at the pod that held the boy called Sora. Sora continued hovering above the ground in a sleeping trance-like state.

"…where do you think Roxas is now?" DiZ asked Riku again after 30 seconds of silence.

"Probably with Namine. There's no doubt she would go after Roxas first," Riku answered.

"Fine then. But that still doesn't answer my question," DiZ replied.

"…Hollow Bastion," Riku speculated. DiZ looked at Riku in surprise.

"Why would they be there?" DiZ wondered. Riku never revealed how he knew this, as he left in a dark portal as soon as he realized where they might be. When Riku left, DiZ just turned around and continued to stare at the sleeping Sora.

"…awake soon, Sora. You have an engagement that needs to be met," DiZ ordered the sleeping Sora, obviously expecting no response.

* * *

Axel was refurbishing the room for Number XIV while Xemnas explained to them their purpose, their weaponry, and the usual antics of the Organization. Axel sighed as he remade the bed for Number XIV, remembering who once slept here before Roxas left the Organization.

"…where is Xion at?" Axel wondered. "No one's told me anything…"

"Maybe that's your punishment for straying off the objective…" Sai"X ominously stated, walking into the room as he did so. Axel stared at Sai"X with great intensity, and Sai"X returned the stare.

"Lea…what happened to you?" Sai"X asked. Axel looked to his side for a second, then returned his gaze to Sai"X.

"I made new friends," Axel answered. Sai"X shook his head.

"I will never understand what you would've seen with that puppet and the boy," Sai"X remarked. "I truly thought you were insane, but perhaps the time away from both of them should do you good."

"Sai"X, tell me what you know, NOW," Axel commanded. Sai"X turned back to him, with an emotionless expression.

"You tell me why I should. I trusted you with our plan to figure out what Xemnas REALLY is planning, but your nonexistent friendship with those deserters ruined everything for us," Sai"X commented.

"…they were my friends," Axel stated.

"And wasn't I your friend? Or do I need to remind you what happened when you tried to take your own life when we were Somebodies?" Sai"X reminded Axel. Axel looked away, quiet. Sai"X uttered a low 'humph,' and he left the room. Axel's gaze stared down at Number XIV's bed, but then his eyes caught something. Putting his hand onto the bedspread, Axel felt a crinkle of paper being pushing down. Axel's eyes widened, and he carefully stuck his hand under the bedspread to get the mysterious object. Pulling out a folded-up piece of paper, Axel unfolded it and read the contents of the inside, which were scribbled down in neatly-handwritten ink. As Axel read it, Xion's voice was overheard in Axel's head as a voiceover.

_This life has become too much for me. I can't remember much, but I know everything now. I was born at Castle Oblivion. I was introduced as Number XIV. But I was truly created by Vexen as a mere Replica; a puppet to be toyed with until I break. And I truly did break, all right. Not once, but several times. First I fought against the Organization faker, and I lost. Then I began collapsing and having weird dreams about the boy in red. And now…it's coming to an end. The boy in red is Sora. He's the connection of my destiny. The Organization faker…that's Riku. He helped me find myself and my destiny. I had to return to Sora, no matter what. I will not stand for Xemnas's ploy for Kingdom Hearts to succeed. Not because Riku persuaded me (although I admit it DID influence my decision), but because of the unanswered questions. I asked why I felt so strange all the time; no one explained it. I asked why I could wield the Keyblade; Sai"X dismissed it as a simple 'need-to-know' basis that didn't fall under what I needed to know. But I DO need to know. I need to know everything about me. I want to know who I am. And sometimes I felt I would collapse like a stack of paper under the pressure of it all…but there were two people who helped me, even to my final days as a member of this dreaded and forsaken Organization. Axel and Roxas. Especially Roxas. They came to my rescue when I forgot to use the Keyblade. Roxas spent his time working alongside me so I could remember how to use the Keyblade. Even whenever I was misled by Riku into attacking my own friends, they helped me return; even though know I should've just fought to my last breath, but I don't care. I do remember what happened the day after I was brought back; Roxas was mad at Axel for attacking me. He's so sweet; I never expected him to care about me like that. After all, he's a bit rough around the edges, but I guess I am too. I remember Roxas telling me that we're both special Nobodies, as Xigbar called it. I thought back then, it was because we could wield the Keyblade and capture hearts. But I now see what could be the true reason, although (unsurprisingly) no know ever explained it: maybe Roxas and I…still have hearts. Maybe even Axel, too. But that'd be stretching my opinions. But I definitely think Roxas has a heart. Mainly because of two reasons…one being that, just like me, he is a part of Sora. The other reason being…on the day when the Organization pit us against each other…(I truly feel embarrassed for saying this)…he kissed me. Simple as that. Axel had left, and I about to head back when I noticed Roxas staring at the sunset. He looked so serene, and his earlier conversation about us leaving the Organization…which we should've done right there, right then…I feel sad. I know what I must do, but it's so tragic for me…but I think Roxas would suffer worse. I remember whenever his power seemed to be ebbing away, he still helped me destroy Heartless as if he was 10x stronger. His heart is powerful…even if it isn't there. After all, the emotions we seem to exude…maybe they may not come from hearts, but they have to come from somewhere. And I bet it's from our memories. I know when Nobodies disappear, they leave nothing behind…but what if that's a lie? I think Nobodies do leave something behind: their memories. The memories are intangible to usual senses, but if one believes truly, the memories can be stored inside someone else, or it can be recreated whole. This brings me to my last resort: no matter what, the Organization won't let Roxas or I co-exist. If I go to him and try to destroy him, he'll overpower me. If I don't, the Organization will destroy him. They only need one Keyblader, and they don't care which. I know Roxas is strong. I know what I must do. I know my memories will still exist, hopefully inside Roxas, or maybe even inside Kingdom Hearts itself. I am through with this. I will attempt to destroy Roxas. He will kill me, but I don't care. I must return to Sora. This charade has to end. There's no other way…it has come to this, Roxas. If you are reading this, please let me say…if I could feel true emotions, I would say I loved you. You would probably say the same thing back. If we could continue living on like this, masterless and free, I would take you and flee to Destiny Islands. Maybe Axel, too, if he finds himself like we both have. I saw you take down Sai"X, Roxas. You are strong. You can stop the Organization. And no matter what, we will continue to exist. Even if our bodies are apart, our memories will still be held together. We will live on…_

Axel stared, and he felt truly empty inside. Pocketing the note, Axel turned around and left the new Number XIV's room, as silent as the empty city of darkness residing below the Organization's castle.

**Well, that's Chapter 4 for ya! I know I made up Axel's backstory as a Somebody, but I felt it would work. After all, in the end credits of KH 358/2 Days, it seems as if Sai"X is staring at Axel, as if he owes something to him. So, I felt this would work. And if you are crying from the note left by Xion, I don't blame you. The note I completely made from scratch, so I hope it was good. And, finally, the new Organization members are also OC's of mine, and their names are based off of characters I use in my comedic series Sonic's Reality Check. Anyways, read, review, and repeat! I need the feedback…**


	5. The Memories

**TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY-ONE. That is the amount of views I got TOTAL from all my stories, and this story specifically got TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE of that 251. Thank you, everyone, for reading and reviewing! This chapter is especially for all those who love this series! ALSO, I AM ADDING NEW SEGMENTS TO THE STORY! They are known as the Xion Reports, and for each time a Xion report is revealed, it will be pasted on the beginning of the story. There is a total of 14, as you can see. If you want to skip them (I would recommend it, at least until all 14 have been found; you'll need to go over them when that happens), just scroll down until you see the UNDERLINED CHAPTER TITLE! And with that, let the story continue!**

**XION REPORTS**

**NUMBER 13 OF 14: **_This life has become too much for me. I can't remember much, but I know everything now. I was born at Castle Oblivion. I was introduced as Number XIV. But I was truly created by Vexen as a mere Replica; a puppet to be toyed with until I break. And I truly did break, all right. Not once, but several times. First I fought against the Organization faker, and I lost. Then I began collapsing and having weird dreams about the boy in red. And now…it's coming to an end. The boy in red is Sora. He's the connection of my destiny. The Organization faker…that's Riku. He helped me find myself and my destiny. I had to return to Sora, no matter what. I will not stand for Xemnas's ploy for Kingdom Hearts to succeed. Not because Riku persuaded me (although I admit it DID influence my decision), but because of the unanswered questions. I asked why I felt so strange all the time; no one explained it. I asked why I could wield the Keyblade; Sai"X dismissed it as a simple 'need-to-know' basis that didn't fall under what I needed to know. But I DO need to know. I need to know everything about me. I want to know who I am. And sometimes I felt I would collapse like a stack of paper under the pressure of it all…but there were two people who helped me, even to my final days as a member of this dreaded and forsaken Organization. Axel and Roxas. Especially Roxas. They came to my rescue when I forgot to use the Keyblade. Roxas spent his time working alongside me so I could remember how to use the Keyblade. Even whenever I was misled by Riku into attacking my own friends, they helped me return; even though know I should've just fought to my last breath, but I don't care. I do remember what happened the day after I was brought back; Roxas was mad at Axel for attacking me. He's so sweet; I never expected him to care about me like that. After all, he's a bit rough around the edges, but I guess I am too. I remember Roxas telling me that we're both special Nobodies, as Xigbar called it. I thought back then, it was because we could wield the Keyblade and capture hearts. But I now see what could be the true reason, although (unsurprisingly) no know ever explained it: maybe Roxas and I…still have hearts. Maybe even Axel, too. But that'd be stretching my opinions. But I definitely think Roxas has a heart. Mainly because of two reasons…one being that, just like me, he is a part of Sora. The other reason being…on the day when the Organization pit us against each other…(I truly feel embarrassed for saying this)…he kissed me. Simple as that. Axel had left, and I about to head back when I noticed Roxas staring at the sunset. He looked so serene, and his earlier conversation about us leaving the Organization…which we should've done right there, right then…I feel sad. I know what I must do, but it's so tragic for me…but I think Roxas would suffer worse. I remember whenever his power seemed to be ebbing away, he still helped me destroy Heartless as if he was 10x stronger. His heart is powerful…even if it isn't there. After all, the emotions we seem to exude…maybe they may not come from hearts, but they have to come from somewhere. And I bet it's from our memories. I know when Nobodies disappear, they leave nothing behind…but what if that's a lie? I think Nobodies do leave something behind: their memories. The memories are intangible to usual senses, but if one believes truly, the memories can be stored inside someone else, or it can be recreated whole. This brings me to my last resort: no matter what, the Organization won't let Roxas or I co-exist. If I go to him and try to destroy him, he'll overpower me. If I don't, the Organization will destroy him. They only need one Keyblader, and they don't care which. I know Roxas is strong. I know what I must do. I know my memories will still exist, hopefully inside Roxas, or maybe even inside Kingdom Hearts itself. I am through with this. I will attempt to destroy Roxas. He will kill me, but I don't care. I must return to Sora. This charade has to end. There's no other way…it has come to this, Roxas. If you are reading this, please let me say…if I could feel true emotions, I would say I loved you. You would probably say the same thing back. If we could continue living on like this, masterless and free, I would take you and flee to Destiny Islands. Maybe Axel, too, if he finds himself like we both have. I saw you take down Sai"X, Roxas. You are strong. You can stop the Organization. And no matter what, we will continue to exist. Even if our bodies are apart, our memories will still be held together. We will live on…_

_Chapter Five: The Memories_

Meanwhile, far away from the city Roxas and Namine were occupied at, there stood a dark, foreboding castle. The castle was entirely black in color, and there were 3 towers standing prevalently on the castle, with many small bridged attaching to each of them, presumably as walkways. The middle of the 3 towers held an insignia that looked like a black heart surrounded by red thorns that crossed over the center of said heart. Viewing up close to the symbol, one could see an inner chamber with a large table-like object in the center. The table was a dark purple in color, and there seemed to be a map of the stars imprinted on the table's surface. Standing next to the table, overlooking the map with curiosity, was a very large and bulky anthropomorphic dog. The dog had black fur, although only his head showed that. The dog had straight, pointy ears, and he was eyeing the map imprinted on the table in from of him with interest. The dog was also wearing seemingly heavy clothes: his shirt was very armor-like, although it, for some reason, had an "X" on it that was colored in British colors. The dog also had bulky pants that were the same color as the shirt. The dog wore gloves that had strange steel bumps on the knuckles, and the dog's shoes were massive. The dog chuckled slightly as he scratched his chin.

"Well, well, well," the dog began. "Look's like old Pete's got a brand new plan!"

The dog, Pete, stuck his index finger onto the map, and he traced his finger alongside a course made up of stars.

"I already messed up in Neverland and Agrabah…" Pete went over in his head. "But maybe I could infest this world with darkness!"

Pete's finger landed on a simple world. The world looked like a giant castle, with white tile that seemed to glow yellow etched on the map. The castle also had pointed parts of it that were blue at the tips. The castle had a large door that was gleaming white. Surrounding the castle was a strange green aura that seemed to fade away as Pete's eyes trailed away from the world. Pete smiled evilly.

"Wonder what this world is?" Pete thought out loud, turning around as he did so. "Doesn't matter. Heartless Squad, round up!"

As soon as Pete shouted, a large creature appeared out of a ball of darkness outside the aforementioned symbol. The creature looked like a dragon, with a dark sandy brown skin color. The stomach color was a light sandy color, with the same symbol from outside imprinted on the creature's chest. The creature had a large wingspan, and its tail was nearly the length of Pete standing up. There were spiky features on the end of the tail, and the wings looked menacing. The creature floated in mid-air, lightly flapping its wings to stay at its height. Pete walked up to the creature.

"Okay, Dustflier. I need you to fly me to the new world I've discovered. Then we can plant more of our fellow Heartless there," Pete ordered. The Dustflier nodded, and it turned in a small 360, careful as to not smack Pete with its tail. Pete got onto the back of the Dustflier gently, as to not overexhaust it from his massive weight. The Dustflier shuddered for a second under Pete's weight, but it gained its stability and flew off into the skies of the area, seeming to head away from the area.

* * *

Roxas and Namine were making progress to wherever Namine wanted to take Roxas. Roxas's cloak was tattered, and he was still badly limping. Currently, they both were in an alleyway surrounded on two sides by tall wooden buildings with red tile roofs. Roxas and Namine turned a corner, and Namine smiled as she noticed a usual wooden door that didn't stand out from anywhere else.

"We're here, Roxas," Namine soothed. Roxas looked up, noticing the boring old door.

"What's here?" Roxas asked.

"Inside the building up ahead of us is a group of people I know are friends of Sora. I know they're friendly, and I think we can ask them to help fix you up," Namine explained.

"…friends?" Roxas asked. At that moment, the door opened and an adult walked out. The adult was taller than Roxas and Namine, and he had cool-looking spiky brown hair. He was wearing a white undershirt with a blue vest on, along with brown pants. He had on a black belt with silver studs embedded in them. The man also was wearing black gloves. As soon as he walked out, he saw Roxas and Namine. Confused and alarmed, the man hastily ran over to the two of them.

"Hey, what happened here? Are you two alright?" the man asked. Namine shook her head.

"I'm fine, but Roxas here…" Namine trailed off, looking at Roxas again. Namine then truly realized the damage the losing fight against Xaldin had given him. Roxas's face was bruised, and his forehead was torn with raw flesh. Roxas's legs were stained with blood, and obvious swelling was occurring on Roxas's jaw, most likely from a punch. Roxas's eyes were even having trouble keeping themselves open. The man looked at Roxas and Namine, and then he got to the side of Roxas that Namine wasn't holding up.

"What are you doing?" Namine asked. The man just got in the same carrying position Namine was in.

"This kid is injured. I think Merlin and the others can help him," the man explained. Namine smiled slightly.

"Thank you, kind sir. But who are you?" Namine asked.

"Name's Leon," the man answered. "Now, what about you two?"

"I'm Namine, and this is…Roxas!?" Namine shouted. Roxas's head was shaking back and forth slowly but violently as if he was having some sort of seizure. Roxas moaned for a second, and he collapsed to the ground, seeing a figure of a boy in a black cloak as he did so…

* * *

The camera shifted to what seemed to be a lounge room in the Organization's castle. The lounge room had several white leather sofas stationed around two glass coffee tables. Several plants in white vases atop white marble pillars were crafted around the room. The pale light from Kingdom Hearts was shining down from the massive tinted window at the end of the room. In the room was Sai"X, Axel, Demyx, Cxnik, Phosnext, and Alexx. Sai"X was talking sternly with Phosnext over something by the tinted windows. Demyx was lightly strumming on a giant blue sitar on his lap. Alexx was silently sitting on one of the couches, quiet enough either to be asleep or assumedly shy. Cxnik was staring out the tinted window, looking at the entire Dark City curiously. Axel, however, was pale-faced as he sat in one of the couch seats alone. Axel couldn't stop thinking about the letter he had found yesterday. Continuously since he had found it, he had read it over and over, hoping that both Xion and Roxas were alive.

"_…hope…I must keep hope…they're still there…" _Axel thought. Axel sighed, before he was approached by Sai"X again.

"Well, someone looks cheery this morning. I assume you've gotten a moderate night's rest?" Sai"X asked, obviously not caring for any response. Axel just stood up and stared at Sai"X angrily.

"What do you want?" Axel asked, angry.

"You know my job; I inform you of whatever missions you have to do today," Sai"X reminded Axel. "Since we need training to begin, I want you to take Cxnik over there to Twilight Town for some training. Teach him the basics."

"…one condition," Axel began. Sai"X stared sternly at Axel.

"This is a mission ordered by Lord Xemnas himself," Sai"X stated. "Why would you wish to bargain for a duty that you already are expected to accomplish?"

"Xion is dead, isn't she?" Axel went straight to the point. Sai"X's expression didn't change, but Axel noted a twinkle in Sai"X's eyes that explained everything. A tension-filled silence occurred, as Axel turned and walked towards Cxnik. Sai"X smirked, before he turned to Demyx.

"Demyx: take Alexx on a Recon mission in a new world we have discovered. Follow the dark portal; it will lead you to your destination," Sai"X demanded. Demyx got up happily.

"You got it!" Demyx replied cheerfully. Demyx went over to Alexx, putting his hand on Alexx's shoulder. Alexx looked up at Demyx, tired.

"Come on, we've got a mission to complete," Demyx mentioned. Alexx silently stood up and followed Demyx through the dark portal. Meanwhile Axel walked over to Cxnik, who was still looking out at the Dark City.

"Come on, kid, we've got some basic training to accomplish," Axel stated, sounding quite bored. Cxnik turned to Axel.

"Ok, Axel," Cxnik replied quietly. Axel seemed surprised that Cxnik had spoken to him.

"You responded?" Axel asked, curious. Cxnik shrugged his arms.

"Aren't I supposed to acknowledge my superiors?" Cxnik questioned. Axel stared at him blankly.

"Well, you've certainly got a large vocabulary…" Axel stated, scratching the back of his head as he did so. Cxnik just sighed.

"So…where's Twilight Town at?" Cxnik asked, slightly annoyed. Axel snapped out of his distracted trance and questionably looked at Cxnik.

"Why are you so chatty?" Axel asked.

"…fine, I'll be quiet, then," Cxnik replied, turning back to gazing out at the Dark City. Axel just opened a dark portal.

"That's not what I meant, kid. Come on, we've got to finish today's mission," Axel commanded. Cxnik just quietly walked into the dark portal. Axel turned back, looking angrily at Sai"X while his back was turned, and Axel left into the same dark portal. Sai"X finally turned to Phosnext, who had been silently resting on one of the couches.

"Phosnext, we have an endurance mission for you here in the castle. Meet me in the Hall Of Empty Melodies when you are fully prepared," Sai"X ordered. Sai"X walked off into the hallway leading out of the room. Phosnext just stood up, yawned silently, and followed Sai"X.

* * *

_----stuck with-----icky jobs?_

_--what are----do?_

_---where I belong---_

_---best-----the very beginning-----_

_----bugs me-----just stinks----_

_----the good of everyone----_

_---everybody----right----_

_This is right._

_THEY'RE GONNA DESTROY YOU!_

"NO!" Roxas screamed, pushing himself up as he did so. Namine and Leon gasped in surprise as Roxas suddenly lifted up like that. Roxas gasped in realization as he noticed where he was. Currently, Roxas was lying on a comfy bed, with bandages wrapped around most of his body. He was wearing clean undergarments, which made him blush when he realized it. Namine smiled as she walked up to him.

"Roxas, did you have a dream?" Namine asked.

"I…think…" Roxas muttered. Looking up, Roxas also saw Leon, along with a girl in a pink-and-white dress. The dress went past the girl's knees, and she was almost as tall as Leon. The girl's brown hair was lengthy, as it stretched down to her lower back. The girl slowly walked up to Roxas.

"Roxas," the girl began in a calm and tranquil voice. "My name is Aerith. Are you alright?"

Roxas looked down at his legs, confused. "I think…where am I?" Roxas asked.

"Leon explained to me everything," Namine explained. "We're at Hollow Bastion. And Aerith here fixed you up!"

"You must've been terribly injured by some Heartless creatures…" Aerith figured.

"_You've got no idea how accurate you are…" _Roxas sadly thought, remembering his losing fight with Xaldin. "Leon, Aerith…you mentioned Heartless?"

"Yes," Aerith answered.

"This place is crawling with those abominations. We've taken it upon ourselves to get rid of them," Leon explained. Whenever Leon finished, a girl in a black outfit burst into the room from the door. The girl had on a simple cut-off black shirt with a black-and-white armored shirt. She was wearing a black headband and she had short, brown pants and black shoes. Her black hair was the feature that caught Roxas's attention.

"Xion?" Roxas asked softly. The new girl didn't notice this, as she turned, out of breath, to Leon and Aerith.

"Guys…Heartless…attacking the gates…" the girl huffed. Leon grabbed a sword hanging on a rack next to him whenever the girl mentioned the Heartless. The sword had a handle that looked like a shotgun, but it turned into a sharp and broad sword after the barrel.

"Yuffie. Show us where they're spawning from," Leon ordered. The girl, Yuffie, nodded her head.

"Yes, sir! Come on!" Yuffie replied hastily as she ran outside again, with Leon following. Aerith ran too, but she turned around at the last second to face Roxas and Namine.

"You two stay put! We'll be back!" Aerith reassured, before shutting the wooden door. A good aftermath of silence occurred, apart from the pattering of feet as everyone ran off to fight the Heartless. Namine turned to Roxas, but Roxas was staring down at the ground again.

"…that wasn't Xion…she's…still gone…" Roxas thought out loud. Roxas then sighed.

"I've got to stop filling my head with these illusions. She's gone; wiped from existence. Why am I continuing with this when there's nothing I'm truly fighting for?" Roxas moaned, seeming to give up hope. Namine's eyes widened.

"Roxas, don't say that!" Namine began. Roxas turned to Namine, staring in her eyes that were the same blue color as Xion's.

"Roxas, you're fighting for her memory and honor, even if she is a Nobody! Never forget, that's the truth!" Namine shouted. Roxas then dropped his jaw slightly as he remembered Xion's final words. Namine stared directly back into Roxas's eyes, and they both looked at each other.

"_She looks so much like Xion," _Roxas thought.

"_He looks so much like Sora," _Namine thought at the same time. Both Roxas and Namine continued to stare, wondering what they truly were.

* * *

Cxnik rubbed his head slightly after a short encounter with some Heartless. Because of Cxnik's lack of weapons, Axel had to fight off the Heartless. Fortunately there was a small amount, and they were weak Heartless, but one had managed to give Cxnik a good blow to the head.

"_Strange…when it hit me, I thought I heard voices…" _Cxnik thought. Axel walked past him.

"So, you still got the mission memorized?" Axel asked, bored. Cxnik looked on, plainly annoyed.

"The treasure chest. Yeah," Cxnik grunted. Cxnik and Axel continued walking forwards. They were both in an underground tunnel system, with golden-brown walls and floors surrounding them, along with neon blue signs that pointed them to the four exits of the Concourse. Cxnik turned a corner, and smirked in relief. In front of him was the assigned treasure chest he was looking for. Without any further explanation, Cxnik walked in front of it and flipped open the lid. Inside the lid was a small bottle with a green substance inside it. A yellow star was painted on the side of the bottle.

"Good job. You found a Potion," Axel explained. "This restores health when low, so use it when, y'know, we find some Heartless."

Cxnik stared at Axel in a glare, but Axel then saw something. Cxnik noted the change in Axel's eyes, so Cxnik turned around, and he saw a second treasure chest sitting in a corner at the end of the hall.

"Huh. Must be a fake chest. Leave it, Cxnik; it's probably a Cymbal Monkey," Axel inferred. Cxnik stared at the treasure chest for a short time, before walking up to it. Axel turned around, and, much to his chagrin, saw Cxnik opening the chest.

"What are you doing!?" Axel shouted. Cxnik opened the chest, and Axel got out two chakrams with a red-and-grey color scheme on them. However, no Cymbal Monkey popped out. Instead, Cxnik reached in and pulled out a note. Axel walked up to Cxnik, confused.

"A note…" Axel said.

_"Strange. It looks exactly like…wait!" _Axel thought, making the connection. While Cxnik was busy carefully unfolding the paper, Axel pulled out the note he found yesterday. Whenever Cxnik opened the paper, Axel was surprised to see that the handwriting was the same. Cxnik and Axel began quietly reading over the new note, and Xion's voiceover was heard in Axel's head again.

_I have torn up the notes, just like my memories have been torn up themselves. Good luck trying to reconnect the pieces._

Axel stared at the note, but then he acted quickly to avoid suspicion. "Cxnik, I think I should report this in to Sai"X."

Cxnik stared at Axel suspiciously. "And why can't I do that job?" Cxnik asked.

"Hey, I'm your mentor. Therefore, until Xemnas gives us the say-so, I'm technically your boss," Axel ad-libbed, albeit coolly. "Besides, what difference does it make?"

Cxnik shrugged, handing over the piece of paper they found. Axel pocketed it, and Cxnik opened up a portal leading home. Cxnik walked through it, with a dreadful Axel following.

"_Xion…what are you trying to tell me?" _Axel thought, before the dark portal disappeared from view.

* * *

Sir, sir! The requirements for our plan have been met!

If this is some lie, your skull will be ripped clean from your scrawny neck.

No, sir! Look! Each and every requirement has been met!

Has Xion been eliminated?

Yes, sir.

Has Roxas beaten Riku?

Yes, sir.

Has Namine left DiZ, Riku, and Sora as expected?

Yes, sir.

Hmm…what about the final requirement?

Yes, sir. We've managed to make sure Axel came across the note about Xion's reports.

So, he'll start looking for them from now on?

Imminently so, sir!

Good. Have him connect the pieces. I am finished with the Organization getting in my way.

Would you care for anything else, sir?

Yes…I want bloodshed. I want carnage. I want the destruction of everything. But first, I need time. Let fate play itself out. No matter which way time takes us, we will win. But only if we follow our procedure, understand?

Indubitably so, sir!

Good. Very good indeed…

**Well, this is strange, isn't it? Axel found another of Xion's notes? But was it fake or real? Who are the mystery characters I put in just now? And what else could occur? Find out soon enough in Chapter 6!**


	6. Regret And Beginnings

**Okay, to make things simpler for the Xion reports, I'll just note which reports have been located. And with that, let there be a new chapter!**

**XION REPORTS**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 13 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Six: Regret Of Begininngs_

Demyx and Alexx were sneaking around an area near the previously mentioned dark castle with Pete inside. The area Demyx and Alexx were investigating was inside a large canyon with strange blocky rock that was a blue color. The ground itself was a dark purple dirt color, which confused Demyx and Alexx. Stopping in the middle of the crater, Demyx and Alexx looked around.

"So…this world has blue rocks and purple dirt? That's normal…" Demyx sighed. Alexx just looked around.

"…but why are the colors like this?" Alexx wondered. Demyx looked surprised.

"Woah! You talked! Last time we had newbies, they couldn't speak fragments of sentences until the month was over!" Demyx noted.

"…huh," was all Alexx could reply to. As Demyx and Alexx continued walking around, a rather large explosion was heard. Turning in the direction of the explosion, Demyx and Alexx saw what seemed to be Heartless attacking a white-walled city not too far from their position. Demyx sighed.

"Aw, man. Do we HAVE to investigate it?" Demyx whined.

"Your attitude makes me look like the leader here. Get some backbone, and MAYBE they'll stop sending you hard missions," Alexx replied in a gruff voice before heading up a winding pathway leading inside a cove.

"Ouch…harsh…" Demyx muttered, following Alexx on his own pace.

* * *

---not supposed to exist?

---what----want you do?

---want to be back----with you.

----come back----

---not the way----now.

What would it take for me to be like you?

Phosnext groped his head as he heard these strange words, and he was consequently knocked over by a Dusk. Sai"X, looking at him from overhead, grunted.

"Come on. Show me some backbone," Sai"X huffed.

"I heard you didn't show much backbone whenever Xemnas demoted you," Phosnext retorted, slicing a Dusk in half as he did so.

"INSOLENT! You first words are a mockery to me!" Sai"X screamed, albeit overdramatically. Phosnext just rolled his eyes, also killing another Dusk as he did so.

"Right…tell me when I care," Phosnext grunted. Sai"X got enraged by this, and he snapped his fingers. The Dusks immediately disappeared, and Sai"X dropped down, fuming mad.

"You want to care? Then care about this!" Sai"X screamed, summoning his claymore as he did so.

"So, training with the underdog now, huh? Fun," Phosnext mocked. This provoked Sai"X to charge at him with all his might. Before Sai"X could land a hit on him, Phosnext swiftly spun to the left, and swung his axe. The axe connected to Sai"X's side, ripping the cloak, flinging Sai"X aside like a washed up rag, and soaking the floor of the Hall Of Empty Melodies with bright, red blood. Sai"X grunted loudly in pain for a second, but then he regained his composure, although he still couldn't stand.

"…sick…little…" Sai"X muttered. Phosnext just smiled.

"Well, THAT was pathetic," Phosnext spat. "The fail is strong in you, I see…"

Sai"X's head snapped up. "WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Sai"X then began charging up his blue energy like he did in his bout with Roxas…but Xemnas grabbed his shoulder very tightly, snapping him out of the attack. Sai"X fell to the ground again as Xaldin walked up and began force-feeding Sai"X cure leaves, much to Sai"X's pride's chagrin. Xemnas looked at Phosnext with intrigue.

"Impressive effort, young one," Xemnas applauded. "I think you've shown good enough effort in taking down our third-in-command."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST-mmph!" Sai"X began, before having more cure leaves stuffed down his throat.

"Your first actual mission is tomorrow. Be prepared," Xemnas ordered. Xemnas then opened a dark portal, taking away Sai"X and Xaldin as he did so. Phosnext stood there, before groping his head in pain again.

"_What…?" _Phosnext thought.

"Well, if it isn't the newbie's lucky day," Xigbar's voice mentioned. Phosnext turned around and saw Xigbar sitting atop a pillar out of sight from everyone. Xigbar was lightly clapping his hands.

"You truly have nothing better to do than watch other people, right?" Phosnext sarcastically asked. Xigbar just rolled his eyes.

"As if. Besides, I completed my mission today. No harm, no foul," Xigbar casually answered, jumping down to the platform below.

"And what did you want?" Phosnext asked. Xigbar just grinned.

"Just wanted to talk to ya, man. Jeez," Xigbar scoffed. Xigbar walked past Phosnext, and, for a brief moment in Xigbar's eyes, Phosnext changed into what seemed to be Roxas's face.

* * *

"_I…don't get it…Xion, and now her? Why…this is wrong, but it's…right? Augh, this is so confusing!" _Roxas angrily thought over in his head. Roxas's normally pale face was now tanned a velvet scarlet, and he and Namine were in each other's grasp, holding each other up. Namine's head was on Roxas's chest, and her face was the exact same.

"_He's…so much like Sora…but he has Xion…this isn't right…is it?" _Namine argued over in her head. Namine looked up at Roxas, who looked back down. Both of them stared at each other, unsure of what to say next. Namine was the first to break the silence.

"Leon and the others won't be back for some time…" Namine began nervously.

"…yeah…is your suggestion…what I think it is?" Roxas asked, feeling sweaty and nervous as he asked so.

"Probably not…but I don't criticize you…maybe…something else…?" Namine asked, looking into Roxas's blue eyes as she asked. Namine could feel herself being lost in Roxas's tranquil stare.

"Yeah…maybe…something else is good…" Roxas answered, softly, lowering his head down to Namine's. Namine began to blush, but she parted her lips and moved forward. Roxas and Namine both kissed in that exact moment, and Namine could feel Roxas's passion (and hesitancy) in his lip movement itself. Namine and Roxas parted from the kiss, both of them looking like they've been sunburned.

"Roxas…are you sure you lack a heart?" Namine asked.

"…I'm sure of one thing. I'm Roxas. Not some Organization lackey, not some boy; I'm me. And even if I do lack a heart, I say I don't," Roxas introspectively answered. Namine tilted her head sideways in awe, jaw slightly dropped, as she stared into Roxas's eyes. A loud banging on the door snapped them both out of it. Roxas jumped back into the bed out of fear, and Namine got almost entirely red-headed (skin color, of course). Namine sat down quickly in her seat, and a tired Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie walked back in.

"Phew…sorry if we scared you guys," Leon apologized. "There was a Heartless trying to sneak its way in here."

"Yeah, I hope we didn't interrupt anything!" Yuffie replied with a big smile. Roxas and Namine looked at each other.

"No, I don't think you did…_at least not on one hand," _Roxas talked (and thought) respectively.

* * *

Demyx and Alexx continued on in their "mission" to figure out what said explosion was before. Right now, they were already at where the battle took place. The area was mainly grey bricks all around them; the ceiling and left wall were thick with bricks, there was a black-painted gate in front of them, and the bricks to the right were grey, but they also revealed a stunning horizon line from the height they were at. Demyx just looked around and sighed.

"So…we arrived and we found no clue of what happened? Good enough for ya?" Demyx whined. Alexx just looked down and saw a Potion lying in the corner. The Potion was empty, although the carton still had the aroma of…whatever a Potion smelled like. Alexx stared at it.

"Someone was here fighting something…but who?" Alexx thought out loud.

"Most likely Heartless. Now can we GO?" Demyx continued to whine.

"Tch. Fine. Go ahead and leave. But I'm taking the credit if I discover anything important behind these gates," Alexx answered, opening the gates easily with a simple push. Demyx sighed, then followed Alexx into the gates.

As soon as Demyx and Alexx left the scene, a pair of gleaming eyes stared out of the shadows. A crackle of what was most likely a radio transmitter is heard.

* * *

They've entered Hollow Bastion.

Good. Remember what you must do. Find Roxas. Our plan depends on it.

If our plan depends on it, why let the Organization realize where he is?

So they can lead us to the World That Never Was, of course. You know we both can't travel in the darkness like they can. For us, it's possible, but not probable.

Yeah, I got ya…

Follow them. And keep out of sight until I give notice. Got it?

Don't worry…

Just then, the voice stepped out of the shadows. The voice belonged to none other than…RIKU!?

"…they're mine," Riku ended the transmission with the other mystery member there in that instant. Making sure to be quiet, Riku began sneaking up the gateway, making sure not to make any sounds as he did so.

* * *

Cxnik was lying down on his bed in his room, staring at the ceiling, occasionally breaking his glance to stare at the large moon outside his window that was shaped like a heart.

"Kingdom Hearts…the source of all power…why are they waiting?" Cxnik asked himself out loud. "Can't they just access it now?"

"Good plan, genius," a voice answered. Looking over to his door, Cxnik saw Elinx standing at the door, eyes shut.

"What do you need, Elinx?" Cxnik asked.

"Just wondering what's up with you. Heard some strange things around here that I'd thought you might wish to hear," Elinx explained. Cxnik got interested, but he kept his cool.

"Such as?" Cxnik asked. Elinx turned to Cxnik, eyes opened.

"Apparently, from what I could decipher from Luxord's gambling talk, there was a fake Organization member that apparently caused the death of the old Number XIV and, in extension, the escape of the old Number XIII," Elinx explained. "Luxord didn't explain much, but he said something along the lines of us eventually having to bring him in. You interested in teaming up with me, should that ever happen?"

"Eh…I'll think about it," Cxnik explained, looking at the ceiling again. Elinx shrugged.

"Fine, alright then," Elinx answered, leaving Cxnik's room and shutting the door. Cxnik spent some time alone, until he heard a strange voice. Sitting up suddenly, Cxnik looked around the room. No one was there, yet he still heard the voice. It was faint and blurred, but Cxnik could definitely make out a young boy's voice before it disappeared just as quickly as it came

* * *

Xemnas was sitting upon his chair in the Round Room. Xaldin teleported in, sitting in his respective chair. Xaldin turned to Xemnas.

"Lord Xemnas, we have encountered something suspicious in Castle Oblivion," Xaldin informed. Xemnas looked down at Xaldin.

"Explain," Xemnas ordered.

"There were reports from our fellow Dusks that someone has tried breaking in, and succeeded," Xaldin informed. This seemed to alert Xemnas, but his composure remained.

"Has anything else been reported?" Xemnas asked.

"Unfortuantly, no, sir," Xaldin answered.

"Very well, then. Leave my presence for now. I must think," Xemnas commanded. Xaldin, without another word, left the Round Room in a teleporting fashion. Xemnas stared at the ground in chagrin.

"…why would something like a dog creature want Castle Oblivion…?" Xemnas asked out loud to himself.

* * *

Finally, Axel was sitting in his room, reading over the note he "got" from Xion earlier today.

"…she's dead, but she leaves behind these notes. What's going on here?" Axel wondered out loud. Axel sighed a bit, then stuffed the same note into the pocket with the first note Axel had found a couple days ago. Axel then stared outside at Kingdom Hearts for the longest time, unmoving.

"…my friends…" Axel stated oddly, muttering the words as he staring at Kingdom Heart's pale glow.

**OOOOH! Riku is working with someone EVILLLL! But whom, you may ask? Well, who cares? Namine and Roxas made out! And maybe it may go farther than that…but who knows? Review to find out!**


	7. Dark Union's Beginnings

**I am TRULY sorry for the wait! Here's the next chapter of Kingdom Hearts: For True Story!**

**XION REPORTS**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 13 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Seven: Dark Union's Beginnings_

Pete was strolling through the entrance hall of a large castle. Looking around, Pete noticed large columns of white marble on the sides of the room, and most of the room was painted white. A large yellow door stood erect at the other end of the room. Pete walked up to the yellow door and began pulling it open.

"Okay, this castle is supposed to hold memories of our pasts, right? So brings memories to life, castle…thing!" Pete ordered. Whenever the door opened, a large flash of light engulfed the room, and a large shadow appeared within the light. Pete shielded his eyes, but then the door shut. Pete blinked several times before turning back. His ears then stood up and his eyes widened.

"Maleficent! It worked!" Pete shouted joyously. Indeed, the witch known as Maleficent was standing in front of Pete, wiping dust off her black cloak. She had on a face mask that seemed to be horns, and her skin was a sickly green. She looked down upon Pete and smiled.

"Pete, you have succeeded in reviving me. I knew you would find out how to do so eventually," Maleficent complimented. "So, shall we continue our plans for Kingdom Hearts?"

"Well, about that…there's been a problem arising," Pete explained. Maleficent's wicked smile turned into a sick frown.

"What problem? Do you mean Sora, the Keyblade Master?" Maleficent asked. "Or maybe the traitor Riku?"

"Who are they? No, it's some group in black cloaks," Pete explained. Maleficent then appeared confused.

"Hmm…fine, then. Pete, it is time to make our own counter-group then. Let us regroup with our former allies," Maleficent commanded, holding her long staff in the air. The green orb on the staff glowed brightly, and both Pete and Maleficent disappeared in a flash of green light. The camera panned back to show Xigbar hiding behind one of the columns.

"Hmmph. Xemnas will like this," Xigbar said to himself, before disappearing into a dark portal.

* * *

Demyx and Alexx walked into the city of Hollow Bastion. Taking a left turn, they both overlooked the majority of the city, seeing the autumn-colored rooftops of the stone city litter the streets below. Demyx whistled in appreciation.

"Wow. Nice city. Sure like to live here when I get my heart," Demyx speculated. Alexx shrugged.

"Well, we have to find whatever caused that fight back there," Alexx reminded. Demyx just sighed.

"Yeah, going beyond the call of duty and stuff to figure out information…(Sigh)…" Demyx moaned. Alexx rolled his eyes, and then he and Demyx began walking down the stone steps to the streets below. Behind them, Riku walked outside, having been hiding until Demyx and Alexx had left.

"…now, let's see what happens what I follow these two…" Riku chuckled lowly, before silently following Demyx and Alexx.

* * *

Maleficent and Pete appeared in a flash of green flame inside what appeared to be a throne room. Inside the throne room was a throne chair made of blue bricks and dark velvet, along with a large table in the middle of the room with what appeared to be a map on it. A man sitting in the chair was surprised by the sudden appearance of Maleficent and Pete. This man had blue skin and was wearing a dark robe with skulls imprinted on parts of it. The man's hair was also made of blue fire, and he had large yellow eyes. The man seemed surprised, until he realized who his guests were.

"Well, Maleficent. What brings you here to the Underworld?" the man asked.

"I am in need of assistance, Hades. And I surmise you still have a grudge against Hercules…?" Maleficent asked. Hades, the dark-robed man, smiled evilly.

"What's your plan?" Hades asked.

"We have been experienced several losses of Heartless from a group called Organization XIII," Maleficent explained. "And I will NOT have fools like them standing in our way of dominion. I wish to gather our old allies and form some counter-organization against them."

Hades's smile turned into a frown. "And what does THAT have to do with me beating Hercules?" Hades asked.

"This Organization is more powerful than Hercules…because of one thing," Maleficent explained. "As to what Pete here told me, they have apparently summoned Kingdom Hearts in the castle in which they live at."

"Yeah, I heard some Kingdom Hearts chatter from some of their members whenever I came across them," Pete acknowledged. "So they must have Kingdom Hearts powering them. That means that we can get the power of Kingdom Hearts ourselves as well!"

Hades's frown turned right back into a devilish grin. "Well, when you put it that way, where do we start at?" Hades asked.

"…we must find more of our old squadron. Come with me," Maleficent ordered. Hades quietly accepted the offer, as he, Pete, and Maleficent disappeared in a flash of green flame to their next destination.

* * *

Xemnas was sitting atop his chair in the Round Room whenever Xigbar appeared in his chair next to him.

"Hey, Lord Xemnas. You're never going to believe what I found at Castle Oblivion," Xigbar began. Xemnas looked down at his colleague.

"Have you ascertained what caused the breach in security?" Xemnas questioned.

"Yep. Apparently some dog creature named Pete infiltrated Castle Oblivion to use the memories of some dark witch to restore her power," Xigbar explained. "They also said something about making a counter-group against us so they can attain Kingdom Hearts."

Xemnas seemed disturbed by this, but he let it slide. "Another threat emerging to prevent our completion…I am not surprised," Xemnas sighed. Xemnas then perked his head up.

"Wait a minute. Did you not say Pete used the dark witch's power to revive her in Castle Oblivion?" Xemnas asked.

"Yeah, I said that. Why?" Xigbar wondered. Xemnas just sighed.

"Just wishing to clarify. Please continue with your duties," Xemnas ordered. Xigbar then silently left the Round Room. Xemnas then shook his head.

"…now we have another Replica to worry about…" Xemnas sighed.

* * *

Roxas was still lying on the bed, half-asleep. Namine was drawing in her large notebook quietly. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith were watching another man type up something on a large computer in the back. The new man looked pretty middle-aged, and he had yellow hair. The man also had what Roxas and Namine assumed to be a wheat strand in his mouth, and he had on goggles lying on his hair. He typed madly on the computer screen, trying to figure out something. Before long, he laughed in success.

"Finally got it done! Hollow Bastion's defensive systems against the Heartless are now online!" the man laughed. Leon smirked.

"Well, looks like you got the job done again Cid," Leon complimented. The man, Cid, just smiled.

"Those Heartless better think twice before trying to mess with our city again!" Cid shouted. Just then, some strange beeping noises from outside were heard, followed by some weird explosions. Some clanking outside was also heard. Leon drew his gunblade and ran outside.

"Looks like the Heartless are getting their first taste of the defensive system right now! I wanna see this!" Yuffie exclaimed. Yuffie also ran outside to help Leon fight the Heartless that had appeared outside. Roxas got up from his bed, yawning.

"Might as well help…" Roxas moaned, stretching out as he did so. Namine looked up at Roxas, alarmed.

"But, Roxas! You're still injured! And if you destroy Heartless, then…!" Namine began.

"It's better than having them still swarm about. We have to destroy them so they won't harm anyone else. I know it seems unfair, but…I don't want more innocent people to fall prey to the Organization. I know someone who already has…" Roxas sighed.

"Xion…" Namine remembered. Both of them stood there in a heavy silence, before Roxas walked outside, ready to fight more Heartless. As soon as he stepped out the door, Roxas summoned his Keyblade and sliced a small Heartless in half. The Heartless then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

* * *

Alexx and Demyx were rounding the corner, about to come into sight of everyone, whenever they noticed one of the security drones appear next to them. Demyx and Alexx stared at the device, watching it go around the corner.

"What was that thing?" Alexx asked.

"Haven't seen one like it before," Demyx answered. Both Demyx and Alexx peeked their heads around the side and saw Roxas, Leon, and Yuffie fighting off several Heartless. Demyx gasped in surprise when he saw Roxas. Demyx immediately withdrew his head, taking Alexx back with him so that they were out-of-sight once again.

"What was that for?" Alexx asked.

"That was the old Number XIII! Roxas! We have to report back to Xemnas immediately!" Demyx said in one breath.

"Woah, wait. Why?" Alexx questioned.

"He betrayed us and almost destroyed us! He's our enemy!" Demyx explained.

"Then why not destroy him now?" Alexx wondered.

"Dude, he beat down Sai"X not once, but TWICE! I'm not going NEAR him until I'm sure we can stop him!" Demyx worried. Alexx seemed stunned that Sai"X could be beaten by such a kid.

"Okay, then. I guess that would work. But I have a feeling we'll be back here pretty soon…" Alexx muttered. Alexx opened a dark portal, and both he and Demyx walked through it. Whenever the dark portal disappeared, Riku walked around the corner, now seeing that there was no harm in the Organization spotting him now. Riku walked around the corner, coming into the plain sight of Roxas, Yuffie, and Leon. Riku smiled, then shot a dark fireball at the last remaining Heartless. The Heartless didn't have a chance as it exploded in a ball of dark flames. Roxas gasped in surprise, and all 3 of them turned and saw Riku, Keyblade already out.

"Hey, Roxas? Haven't seen you in a while," Riku reminded Roxas. Roxas then gritted his teeth.

"You…" Roxas grunted, before summoning both his Keyblades at once. Riku seemed surprised, but then the device in his ear crackled again.

FOOL! Finish him quickly! I can sense him coming!

"Who?" Riku quietly asked.

The real Riku! Kill the boy now, Replica!

"Don't worry; I plan to," Riku uttered under his breath, before charging at Roxas. Roxas began charging as well, and Leon and Yuffie stood there, stunned by confusion.

* * *

Axel was on a solo mission today, going through Twilight Town again. He was mowing down Heartless, but his objective today was to catch and grab the small disc-shaped Organization emblems around the Tram Common area. Axel jumped up onto some square steps, and successfully jumped on top of a building to grab the next one. Looking over the area, Axel saw another emblem over in the tram yard. Axel ran as fast as he could there, using his chakrams to mow down the small Heartless that occasionally popped up in front of him. Soon enough, Axel grabbed the last Emblem, and he sat down, sighing heavily.

"Phew…Mission…Complete…" Axel sighed. Axel got up again and began heading back to the dark portal hidden in an out-of-the-way location. Axel went past the square steps he had just jumped upon and went into an almost-enclosed location. Whenever Axel was about to step inside the dark portal, however, he stepped on something that crunched loudly. Axel looked down and saw another piece of paper. Axel's eyes widened, and he picked it up to see what it was. Unfolding the paper, Axel sighed and tossed it aside whenever he realized it was only an advertisement for Sea Salt Ice Cream. Axel stood there, before he shut the dark portal and turned around. A couple minutes later, Axel was sitting on a ledge on the clock tower, eating a blue bar of ice cream. Axel sighed.

"…what am I doing?" Axel wondered. Axel put his hand down to have himself lean against the concrete whenever he slipped. Axel fell over on his side, ending up lying on the concrete of the ledge. Axel, grumbling, tried to push himself back up, until he noticed something. Under the ledge was a small slit, and in the slit was a piece of paper. Axel pulled out the piece of paper, but first he quickly inhaled the ice cream bar he was eating. Unfolding the paper, Axel was surprised to see Xion's handwriting again.

_…Sai"X gave me this diary a while ago, except I really don't know what to write in it. I guess I'm supposed to say how my day went. Well, today was pretty special, so I'm glad this is my first entry. Sai"X assigned both Roxas and I a mission to eliminate some creature called a Darkside. It was a tough foe, but somehow I managed to kill it by using the Keyblade. I didn't even know I could wield the Keyblade, so it came as a pretty big shock to me. Then Roxas told me about the 'icing on the cake,' and he took me atop the clock tower to have ice cream. He told me it was Sea Salt Ice Cream, Axel's favorite. We did talk for a bit, and I asked him if we could be friends. I guess he's still trying to figure out what friendship is, too, cause he responded along the lines of, "Well, I'll have to ask Axel first." Meh, I don't blame him. He's funny like that. I hope tomorrow's mission will be with him too. Maybe I should go to the clock tower after every mission myself and have ice cream up there. Maybe I'll run into Roxas again. Wonder if any other Organization members know of that place…_

Axel read the notes, and sighed. Pocketing the note, Axel just shook his head.

"…to think its only been a year," Axel said to himself. Looking to his left, Axel saw (from the power of his memory) the visions of Roxas and Xion talking with each other, and with Axel himself, back before everything fell apart. The visions disappeared quickly, though, as Axel gripped his head as he realized he was having an ice cream headache.

**HOLY CRAP! You mean to tell me that there's TWO RIKUS!? Didn't see that one coming, did you? Anyways, sorry for the EXTREMELY long wait. Review!**


	8. Riku Returns

**Well, here's the next event-filled chapter of Kingdom Hearts: For True Story! Thanks for all the feedback on this so far, everyone; this was supposed to be a side-fic I would sometimes work on to vent out my anger from 358/2 Days tragic ending, but you've all turned it into my most successful fanfiction ever! If you DO like stories like this, (hoping I'm not sounding noobish here) then try reading my Sonic Chronicles fic! It's pretty good, and it does involve a lot about Roxas at times. But enough stalling! Enjoy!**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 2 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 7 BY AXEL.  
NUMBER 13 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Eight: Riku Returns_

Roxas slammed hard into Riku, with both of them flying off in opposite directions from the sheer force of the impact. Riku landed on the ground, flipping himself over with his hand, and firing a dark fireball in the direction of Roxas. Roxas slashed directly through the fireball with the Oblivion Keyblade, and he again charged at Riku. Riku smirked, before jumping in the air. Riku then slammed down into the ground, creating a dark shockwave. Roxas had partially seen this coming and he jumped, but he got tripped up by the shockwave. Roxas began spinning in the air, but he used it to his advantage when Roxas spun his Keyblades in a saw-like motion. Riku hadn't expected this, and was slashed multiple times before they both crashed into a stone wall. All 3 Keyblades were dropped. Riku got up and tried to throw a punch at Roxas, but Roxas quickly dodged it and karate chopped Riku in the side. Riku doubled over in pain, before Roxas kicked him to the ground. Roxas summoned both his Keyblades, and raised them high.

"Looks like I win…again," Roxas smirked, about to strike the finishing blow. Before he could, a black cloak figure walked up to the edge of the stone wall high above them and looked down.

"Roxas!?" a voice yelled. Roxas recognized the voice, and he looked up to see…Riku!? Just as this information was going over in his head, the Riku Roxas beat up grabbed Roxas's leg and opened a dark portal. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith snapped out of their trance.

"Hey! Who are you!?" Leon shouted, running directly towards Riku and Roxas. Riku just smirked and silently disappeared into the dark portal with a struggling Roxas in his grasp. The dark portal disappeared, leaving Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith stranded there. Namine trembled a bit, then walked up to Leon.

"Where…do you think he went?" Namine softly asked. Leon sighed, and was about to answer when the Organization-cloaked Riku came onto the scene. Leon saw him, and instinctively fired a fireball from his gunblade at Riku. Riku deflected the blast by summoning a dark shield.

"WAIT!" Riku shouted. Leon charged at Riku, about to start a fight with him, when Namine stepped right in front of Riku.

"Leon, stop!" Namine shouted. Leon slowed down right in his tracks, still wary of Riku.

"What's going on here? He was just attacking Roxas!" Leon accused. Riku then drew back.

"But I just got here…I saw Roxas beating up someone, and I had orders to find him," Riku explained. Yuffie and Aerith then ran up to Leon's side.

"And then why did you attack Roxas then?" Yuffie yelled.

"And where did you take him off to?" Leon countered.

"We personally do not like people of that dark caliber in our town," Aerith informed.

"LISTEN!" Namine shouted. Namine's sudden outburst surprised everyone. "That Riku wasn't the real Riku! I could tell from the look in its eyes! It was some sort of fake!"

Riku seemed the most surprised out of everyone there. "A…fake Riku? You don't mean…?" Riku wondered. Namine turned around and sighed.

"Yes, Riku. The Riku-Replica from Castle Oblivion is alive…but why and how?" Namine sighed.

"Back up a minute. Riku-Replica? Castle Oblivion? What's going on here?" Leon demanded.

"I'll say. Gosh, I take off on my own mission for a couple of days, and here I find all this chaos happening!" a familiar voice announced. Everyone turned to where the real Riku had emerged from, and they saw a short figure with large round ears. He was wearing an Organization coat, but the hood was down, revealing a mouse's face. Almost immediately, Riku went down on his one knee.

"Your Majesty…" Riku politely addressed. Leon just smirked and crossed his arms.

"Well, if it isn't the King? How's time treated you?" Leon asked. The King smiled.

"Nothing much, really, Leon. But I'm here on my own account. I've been traveling the worlds to search for Heartless and destroy them before they could multiply, but I've come across a rather disturbing discovery," the King informed. Riku stood up.

"What is it?" Riku asked.

"Welp, it seems Maleficent is back up to her old tricks," the King informed. This made everyone except Namine jump.

"Maleficent!? But Sora, Donald, and Goofy destroyed her!" Leon shouted.

"How could she still be alive?" Yuffie asked.

"I dunno, but I DO know she has wasted no time in gathering several members of her dark group from before. I think she's still at the Heartless castle out by the Dark Depths," the King informed.

"The Dark Depths…fitting," Riku acknowledged.

"But that's not all. Word has it they're planning to fight back against Organization XIII first, so it seems we have a lot of separate problems arising," the King sadly stated.

"…we have to find Roxas," Namine began. Aerith turned to her.

"Why? What makes Roxas so special?" Aerith asked.

"He can wield two Keyblades. And he's Sora's Nobody. He can take down the Organization and the Maleficent group easily, if he tried," Namine tried to reassure. To Riku, though, her words sounded like she was trying to make it sound convincing to even herself.

"Sora's…Nobody?" Yuffie asked.

"We can explain inside," the King began.

"Your Majesty…I need to head off," Riku sighed. The King turned to Riku.

"Why? Something up?" the King asked.

"If the Riku-Replica is alive…he must be working for someone…I'm heading to the Dark Depths," Riku informed. The King became alarmed at that moment.

"Are you sure? Maleficent is powerful! Surely you must have another way?" the King asked.

"If I can beat Ansem's Heartless on my own…she'll be a piece of cake," Riku bragged. Riku then began walking off in the direction from where he came. The King sighed, then ushered everyone inside so he could explain the current situation.

* * *

Xemnas was again sitting atop his chair, pondering the current situation at hand.

"Hmm…Demyx's report is unsettling…" Xemnas said out loud to himself. Xemnas thought over in his mind his next move. Fortunately, Xaldin appeared on his chair.

"Master Xemnas, I have assembled the new recruits as you ordered. What is your next move?" Xaldin asked. Xemnas looked down at Xaldin, now smiling.

"I wish for each of the new recruits to search around Hollow Bastion for Roxas and Namine. Tell them to show no mercy," Xemnas ordered. Xaldin nodded his head, before disappearing in a dark portal.

* * *

Meanwhile, Maleficent, Pete, and Hades were all in the large room Pete was in before in the story. There were also in the same room a large being that looked like a ghostly bag, a pirate captain in a flamboyant red outfit, and a witch that was assumedly part-octopus. The pirate captain spoke up first.

"Fine then, Maleficent! Why are you interfering with me business!? I'm after a lost treasure in Never Land, and you'll be facing me wrath if I return and find that someone made off with me treasure!" the pirate captain screamed.

"Hush now, Captain Hook!" Maleficent ordered. The pirate captain, Captain Hook, gruffly grunted. The octopus-witch then spoke up.

"What do you need this time, Maleficent? Our plan for Kingdom Hearts failed," the witch reminded her.

"Ursula, someone else is trying to steal Kingdom Hearts from us. And I will not allow that to happen!" Maleficent spoke up. Ursula, the octopus-witch, gasped.

"WHAT!? Who would try that?" Ursula asked.

"Organization XIII, that's who!" Pete spoke up. "Those buffoons got in my way more than once! Meh, they ruined my Never Land campaign, that's for sure! And I still haven't located Jafar's lamp yet…" Pete sighed. Captain Hook's head then looked up.

"Never Land campaign!? You mean YOU were the scoundrel sending the Heartless after me and ruining me treasure hunt!?" Captain Hook screamed.

"HEY! I told the Heartless to not attack you guys! You just ran away because you feared the darkness!" Pete retorted. "Besides, I planted the treasure maps in the first place, so-!"

"YOU!? Insolent pup! How DARE you interfere with me treasure hunting business!" Captain Hook yelled.

"SILENCE!" Maleficent shouted, slamming her staff into the ground. A large column of green flame appeared where her staff hit the ground, and this silenced everyone in the room. The ghostly bag then walked forward.

"Okay, then…so, where would we find this Organization XIII?" the ghostly bag asked.

"Well, Oogie, I presume Pete would know. Isn't that right, Pete?" Maleficent asked, putting Pete on the spot. Pete just nervously stammered.

"Well, uh…I don't actually KNOW, but…" Pete began. Hades just grunted.

"Useless…" Hades sighed.

"BUT…if we follow one of them, we can find their stronghold and finish them off!" Pete theorized. Oogie's hollow black eyes lit up.

"Ooh! A sneaky, devilish little plan! I like it! So, where could they be now?" Oogie wondered.

"Well, they appear really…anywhere. So maybe they could appear here in Hollow Bastion soon," Pete wondered. Maleficent then smiled.

"Then our goal is clear. Everyone: keep an eye out for any being clad in all-black. When you see them, report to use using these dark communicators," Maleficent ordered, tossing everyone a black walkie-talkie with the Heartless insignia on it.

"Our plan for Kingdom Hearts draws ever closer…" Maleficent chuckled. Soon everyone else joined in the low chuckling, before it turned into all-out dark laughter.

* * *

The current setting was a room presumably at the bottom of a factory. Many pods were lined up in rows, and a large column of light was present at the end of this large hall. A dark hole opened in the middle of a circular area in front of a control panel used to monitor the pods, and Roxas was thrown out of the pod. Riku then walked out of the dark portal, smiling grimly. Roxas drew both his Keyblades and faced Riku as he shut the portal.

"Who are you truly?" Roxas growled. Riku just grinned.

"I can answer your question with another question: do you know what Xion was?" Riku asked. Roxas then snapped.

"YEAH, I KNOW WHAT SHE WAS! A GOOD FRIEND, MY _BEST _FRIEND, AND A VICTIM OF THE ORGANIZATION!" Roxas screamed, his loud scream echoing down the large hall.

"But she was also a Replica…" Riku grinned. Roxas then started twitching his gritted teeth.

"And?" Roxas darkly growled.

"The Replica program had to have a prototype. Xion was named the first successful experiment for Organization XIII…I am the refuse of the experiment; the first Replica, and the successful prototype," Riku explained. Roxas then became confused.

"What…what are you saying?" Roxas asked.

"I'm not Riku…just a Riku Replica…" the fake Riku explained. "And my master would like to speak with you."

Before Roxas could say anything else, a dark shadow appeared in front of Riku-Replica. The dark shadow began taking form, and Roxas watched as it stood up at the same height as Roxas. Roxas, despite the creature being entirely clad in black, could see distinct features of the being. As Roxas oversaw the being, his memories clicked into place about the boy in red.

"Sora…?" Roxas asked. The dark being shook his head.

"No…but then you could also say yes. But that's beside the point of matter," the dark being explained. Lifting up his head, Roxas saw two gleaming yellow eyes staring at him.

"A Heartless?" Roxas wondered.

"Wrong again," Riku-Replica spoke up. "I was the first Replica, and the SUCESSFUL prototype."

"…and I was the UN-successful prototype of the Replica program," the dark being answered. Roxas stepped back and the being cracked his neck by simply turning it side-to-side.

"I was cast aside, and I was sent to fight Sora. After losing to that brat, I wanted revenge. But because Sora destroyed me, I couldn't ever resurface…at least, not until he released his heart in Hollow Bastion last time…" the dark shadow chuckled. "He turned into a simple Shadow Heartless…but he shouldn't have. He should've had a stronger Heartless form…but that was because I separated myself from him before he could take my form."

"You're…a Heartless form of Sora?" Roxas wondered.

"Close," the Riku-Replica answered.

"I am Anti-Sora. The Organization is my enemy, and I've seen you attack the Organization's castle. I am assuming you have something against them. Tell me, and both our services are yours," Anti-Sora bargained. Roxas's eyes widened, and his Keyblades disappeared.

"…you're the Organization's enemies too…" Roxas realized. Roxas then grinned.

"Well, then, have you ever felt a burning rage to fight someone because they wronged you? You know, to teach them a lesson?" Roxas asked.

"Revenge. Yes, that emotion I do know very well," Anti-Sora agreed.

"Too bad all I can feel is the illusory version of that," Roxas sighed.

"Really? Considering you wield a Keyblade, I would say that differs," Riku-Replica spoke up. Roxas's head then lifted up.

"What…what are you saying?" Roxas asked.

"Keyblades can only be wielded by someone who has a heart…why do you think you and Xion could wield the Keyblades?" Anti-Sora mentioned. Roxas just gasped.

"You mean…" Roxas began. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica just nodded their heads.

"Yep. You have a heart, and your own identity. The Organization knows it, and they kept it secret from you. And because of them, Xion's not just dead; her memories are fading. Except only you can closely remember them," Anti-Sora explained.

"Then how can you…?" Roxas asked.

"Xion's become a part of Sora once more. I am a duplicate of Sora. As such, his memories, and in extension Xion's memories, are also my memories, as well as yours. Why do you think you're still having those weird flashing dreams about the boy in red?" Anti-Sora explained.

Roxas began stepping backwards, trying to comprehend all of this. "_I have a heart…Xion as a heart…the Organization knew…and these guys can help me…" _Roxas thought. Roxas rose up, smiling.

"Do you have a plan to stop Organization XIII?" Roxas asked.

"More than one, Roxas. Thank you for trusting us," Anti-Sora welcomed, sticking out his right hand. Roxas took his hand and shook it with a firm handshake.

"The pleasure is all mine," Roxas grinned, knowing now revenge will be dealt with swiftly.

**Riku-Replica AND Anti-Sora? Review! And also tell me if I'm actually surprising you with this! I've already got the entire story arc planned out, so if you don't like it, I can still make some edits! Anyways, review and tell me if you like it or not!**

**SPECIAL: I would like to thank EVERYONE for reading this story. This must've been the first of its kind or something, because for every couple of days I post a new chapter, I've been in the hits list of the 200's! This was supposed to be a side-fic, but you all have made it one of my crowning jewels and achievements! THANK ALL OF YOU FOR READING! More chapters to come, so stay tuned! **


	9. Kidnapping

**Sorry for the long delay! Here's the next chapter to my currently most popular fic!**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 2 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 7 BY AXEL.  
NUMBER 14 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Nine: Kidnapping_

Riku ran up to the edge of a cliff outside Hollow Bastion. Looking straight ahead, Riku saw the dark castle Maleficent was hiding out at. Smirking, Riku summoned his Keyblade and began running down the side of the cliff, heading for ground level so he could enter the castle and finish off Maleficent once and for all. Riku landed upon the ground and began walking forwards, whenever several large shadows appeared. Riku turned around and noticed he was surrounded by shadows with weird antennaes and long arms.

"Neoshadows. Is that the best they can do?" Riku taunted. A Neoshadow jumped into the air to attack Riku, and Riku swiftly cut it apart. The other Neoshadows began charging at Riku as well. Riku grinned and continued slashing each Neoshadow in half, making a clear-cut pathway to the entrance of the dark castle.

* * *

Above the area where Riku had just landed were the standing figures of Sin Juxt and Elinx. Behind them was Phosnext and Cxnik, who both looked bored.

"Can we go now? Sai"X told us Roxas had yellow hair," Cxnik reminded his two companions.

"Will you stop whining? This character's acting fishy, and the Organization ALWAYS looks into suspicious characters," Sin Juxt reminded Cxnik.

"You've been listening to Axel too much," Phosnext grunted.

"Well, it does seem like this guy is powerful. I mean, a Neoshadow alone is a walk in the park. Several of them can be bad news. But a whole army?" Elinx pointed out. Cxnik rolled his eyes.

"Fine, point taken. But I doubt Sai"X will let us waltz around free if he finds out we shirked off our mission to watch some blindfolded faker kill Purebloods," Cxnik sighed. "Phosnext, I'm going into the town. I'll meet up with you there."

"You think I'm staying? No damn way. The traitor is dead when we get ahold of his scrawny neck," Phosnext threatened. Cxnik and Phosnext began walking down the rocky pathway leading to the Great Maw, and, in extension, the city of Hollow Bastion. Elinx looked back, deep in thought.

"So, Elinx? You staying or going?" Sin Juxt asked.

"...might as well stay here. After all, you wouldn't last ten seconds against Roxas without me," Elinx joked.

"Oh, we'll see!" Sin Juxt retorted.

* * *

A dark portal opened up in the middle of the Great Maw, and Roxas, Anti-Sora, and Riku-Replica all walked out of it. The dark portal shut, and Roxas turned to face his two new companions.

"So, why are we here?" Roxas asked.

"Organization XIII gave the dispatched orders to destroy you, assumedly," Anti-Sora began.

"Well, you've got that right," Roxas agreed.

"But did you know that their Replica Program had continued after you left?" Riku-Replica mentioned. Roxas's face was truly suprised.

"They WHAT?" Roxas gasped.

"Yeah; they've managed to fill in all the gaps of the lost Organization members," Riku-Replica explained. Anti-Sora turned his head and noticed Cxnik and Phosnext coming down the pathway.

"And there's two of them," Anti-Sora pointed out. Riku-Replica and Roxas turned to face Cxnik and Phosnext, and at the same time, Cxnik and Phosnext noticed our three anti-heroes.

"What the-?" Cxnik realized.

"That must be Roxas," Phosnext noted.

"But wasn't that grey-haired guy just back by the castle?" Cxnik mentioned.

"Who cares about the details? Let's get them," Phosnext stated, summoning his large axe weapon as he did so. Cxnik just got into a fighting stance. Riku-Replica grinned.

"Well, this'll be easy. One of them's not even armed!" Riku-Replica laughed.

"Keep your guard high. He must have a trick or two up his sleeve," Anti-Sora warned. Riku-Replica's facial expression turned serious as he summoned the Soul Eater Keyblade. Roxas summoned his two Keyblades and got ready for battle.

"He has two of them?" Cxnik asked.

"That means we'll have double the evidence to prove our victory when this is over," Phosnext commented. Cxnik and Phosnext then charged at the three anti-heroes, and vice versa. Before they clashed, however, the camera panned back to show Xigbar and Sai"X standing atop a cliff overlooking the Great Maw.

"I assume your aim is exceptional?" Sai'X asked.

"I would say something a bit better than 'exceptional,' but yeah," Xigbar noted, summoning his two arrowguns as he did so. Xigbar then slammed the two guns together into one large gun with a sniper scope. Xigbar looked through the sniper scope with his one working eye, taking good aim for Roxas, Anti-Sora, and Riku-Replica.

"Whenever Phosnext and Cxnik wear them down, their fates are sealed," Xigbar grinned. Sai"X just smirked.

* * *

Namine and the King were both sitting in wooden chairs, having apparently finished their talk with Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid. All four of them were completely shocked by what Namine and the King had just explained to them.

"So, you mean to tell me...because of Sora saving our world...Roxas is here?" Leon tried to grasp.

"And you're some witch with power over memories?" Cid added.

"Yes, and I am truly sorry for having to make all of you forget Sora for the year, but now I'll need your help more than ever," Namine pleaded.

"Yup, she's right, ya know!" the King explained. "And now with the introductions out of the way, we gotta go help Riku!"

"Yeah, you're right. Riku can't handle Maleficent and her gang alone," Leon sighed.

"Well...he can't destroy them, that's for sure," Namine pointed out. Leon and the others turned to Namine in surpise.

"What do you mean, Namine?" Aerith asked.

"Riku's been a strong warrior ever since Castle Oblivion. I mean, I DID say he was able to destroy the remnants of Xehanort's Heartless," the King reminded everyone. Leon just crossed his arms and smirked.

"Okay, then. Well, let's just go make sure we back him up," Leon smirked. Leon opened the door leading outside and was about to head out...whenever a white creature appeared in front of them. Leon jumped back as he noticed the creature, swiftly dancing in the wind. Namine and the others turned to corner to see what was wrong, and Namine gasped.

"Oh, no! A Dusk! One of the Organization's minions!" Namine cried. Leon just tried slicing through it with his gunblade, but to no effect. Leon's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't harm this creature.

"What...?" Leon mumbled, confused.

"Hmmph. So, that's where you were hiding," a voice menacingly threatened. Everyone looked up and saw Xaldin and Exsan standing, watching over the battlefield from the roofs.

"...Xaldin..." Namine gasped. Namine then turned in a full circle and tried to run away, whenever Exsan fired an electric blast right in front of Namine's path. Namine couldn't dodge the blast, as she instantly became paralyzed from the electric blast.

"Namine!" Yuffie shouted. Yuffie and Aerith tried to run and help Namine when several Berserker Nobodies appeared inbetween them.

"Don't destroy them. I wish to test any future experiments on them," Xaldin ordered. The Berserkers then tried to grab at Leon, Yuffie, Cid, and Aerith. The screen blacked out as the Berserkers went over the screen.

* * *

The dark screen changed into Anti-Sora, who was already flung into the air. Phosnext came up, about to attack him with his axe. Anti-Sora spun in a circle, and he began flailing his arms, used his spiked nails and tendrils of dark energy to knock Phosnext into the earth. Phosnext was knocked into Cxnik, but Cxnik retaliated by spinning in the air. Cxnik then flung himself at teh Riku-Replica, in a tackling attempt. Riku-Replica smirked, and he easily beat back Cxnik with one slash of the Soul Eater. Roxas then came up and unleashed a very devastating Keyblade combo on Cxnik. Cxnik was flown back, but he spinned straight into the air and landed safely on the rocky ground. Phosnext then hit Riku-Replica while his back was turned, launching him into the air. Phosnext slammed his axe into the ground, and large columns of rock appeared around him. Anti-Sora, who was about to execute a sneak attack on Phosnext, jumped back as he saw this coming. Roxas wasn't as lucky, but he only got grazed a bit by the rising rock. Riku-Replica was then hammered with various rock columns, until he landed facefirst on the ground. Phosnext then swung his axe in an arc, which hit both Roxas and Anti-Sora in one blow, before slamming it into the ground again. This time, though, the ground below Riku-Replica caved in, until it seemed like the earth itself was swallowing him. Roxas jumped back and pulled Riku-Replica out of the sinkhole, but Cxnik ran up to Roxas and managed to kick him to the ground. Roxas pointed his Keyblades at Cxnik and fired a large fireball, hitting Cxnik square in the chest. Cxnik fell backwards, and Riku-Replica lightly kicked him into the large sinkhole. Phosnext, expecting this, lifted his axe so the depression in the rock would stop, but Anti-Sora latched onto Phosnext from behind and began slashing at him with all his might. Phosnext spun in a circle, creating a small tornado. The small tornado lifted up the earth itself, until Phosnext was inside a mini-earth tornado. The earth tornado blasted Anti-Sora away into Riku-Replica. Roxas rolled out of the way, watching his two allies fall into the depression in the crust. Cxnik jumped up and kicked both of them in the side, one at a time, before leaping out of the depression and landing next to Phosnext. Roxas growled, and got ready to fight some more. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica bounded out of the depression, ready to charge at them. Before the next blow could be dealt, a large energy arrow flew out of the tip of the canyon and hit Roxas square in the chest. Roxas fell over, knocked out instantly. Everyone turned and saw Xigbar and Sai"X overlooking the Great Maw. Both of them then jumped down, observing the two creatures that stood before them.

"Well, well, well, look's like Vexen's little experiment is alive," Xigbar joked.

"I'm not an experiment!" the Riku-Replica angrily shouted, before trying to slash at Xigbar. Xigbar just effortlessly dodged it, before slamming his fist right into theRiku-Replica's chest. Riku-Replica fell over, knocked out.

"You're next, you dark fake," Sai"X growled, summoning his claymore as he did so. Sai"X and Xigbar charged at Anti-Sora immdiately. Phosnext then went forward and tried to help his two older superiors. Cxnik followed, making it 4-against-1. Anti-Sora smiled.

"By fate's hand, the darkness shall consume you," Anti-Sora growled, before launching a dark energy ball in the sky. The dark energy ball created a large flash, ending the scene because of it.

* * *

The real Riku was slashign through several more Neoshadows, along with a variety of several other Heartless that were appearing by the minute. Riku jumped over one Heartless, spun and sliced three others, and landed behind the massive horde as most of them exploded into nothingness. Riku turned around and shot a dark fireball at the remaining Heartless, incinerating them instantly. Riku opened the door leading to the throne room, and he walked in, much to the pleasure of Maleficent, Pete, and the rest of the villains.

"So, you really have resurfaced..." Riku sighed.

"And it seems you have returned, traitor," Maleficent acknowledged, turning around with a sadistic look on her face.

"Well, well, well, who gets the first shot?" Pete asked.

"Why did you revive the Riku-Replica?" Riku asked. Maleficent's face turned to confusion.

"Riku-Replica? What would that be?" Maleficent asked.

"Like you don't know," Riku insulted, summoning his dark Keyblade as he did so. Maleficent grunted, then summoned a ball of green flame.

"What do you know about Organization XIII, boy?" Maleficent ordered. Riku didn't shake from his battle stance.

"Enough about them for them to try and destroy me," Riku answered. Oogie's eye holes widened.

"Then he MUST know where their HQ is! I want to see them all suffer with my power over the dice!" Oogie squealed.

"_He's going for Luxord, first, I bet," _Riku thought. "What about the Riku-Replica?"

"Honestly, if I had a clue about what you are babbling about, I'd say something, wouldn't I?" Maleficent hinted.

"...good point. Castle Oblivion only held my memories of you and the others, nothing else," Riku remembered. Maleficent turned around.

"And I suppose you've heard of the Chamber Of Awakening?" Maleficent foreshadowed. Riku looked up in shock. The other members of the dark group were also confused as well.

"Chamber Of Awakening?" Hades asked.

"This had better be worth me time!" Captain Hook shouted.

"Oh, it will be. But first...why don't we give Riku what he came here for? A nice little battle of wits," Maleficent maleovently grinned. Maleficent was then covered in a dark green flame, and she transformed into a large dragon. The other beings of the dark ran out of the way, and Riku got ready for battle. Behind him, Sin Juxt and Elinx hid behind 2 pillars, both of them grinning.

"Boy, Cxnik is missing out..." Elinx laughed.

"That's what he gets for being impatient!" Sin Juxt grinned.

* * *

Axel was standing in front of a large glass orb on a pedestal. From the looks of the white room, one could tell he was at Castle Oblivion. Axel was staring into the crystal ball, entranced with the view he was seeing. Inside the crystal ball was an image of Roxas fighting an enormus enemy. The enemy had two large Keyblades, and a big shirt that looked similar to Roxas's own clothing. Roxas was apparently having a mental struggle against merely harming the creature. Axel looked down and held up a couple pieces of paper, each of them being one of Xion's own diary entries in the past. Axel picked out a fourth journal entry, which he had just found moments earlier. Unfolding this new note again, Axel looked down upon its contents and re-read it.

_I...I'm sad. I know I'm not supposed to be...but I just am. I went to Castle Oblivion today after completing my mission that the Organization gave me. I did run into Axel, and I told him about my memories: how I met him once before in this very castle! He kept telling me not to remember, but I guess it had the adverse effect of making me want to remember more. I opened the doors of Castle Oblivion...and I was shocked at what I saw. Now, I know them as Sora, Kairi...and Riku. Riku and I fought once before, like I mentioned in my earlier diary entires, but...I know why he suffers so much now. But who am I? Why am I here? And why do I have these memories? Xemnas knows. Sai"X knows. I bet even Axel knows. Yet he can't tell me anything. I thought we were friends...but I guess we aren't, since friends tell each other everything. At least I still have Roxas...at least I still have someone to lean to whenever the bad times come. And I have a feeling the worse is yet to come..._

Axel folded up the note and placed it in his own pocket, and he turned away from the crystal ball.

"...I'm sorry for betraying you like that, Xion..." Axel sighed in a low voice. Axel was about to walk away, whenever he heard a clapping noise. Axel turned around, suprised, to see a member of Organization XIII leaning against the wall, clapping slowly.

"You betrayed Xion, huh? Well, that's not the first time you ever betrayed someone, isn't it?" the figure laughed, flipping down his hood. Axel's eyes widened.

"IMPOSSIBLE! You died!" Axel screamed. Axel tried to run away, but a member of Organization XIII (this one a different member) blocked his way to the exit.

"And who do you think did it? Sora, in a literal sense, DID kill me...but who derailed my own plans and led me to this?" the figure taunted. Axel turned around again, now worried.

"...how...how did you...?" Axel tried to ask.

"I have to personally thank Pete's meddling for that. But like Anti-Sora said..." the figure began, walking into the camera's view. This man had long, flowing pink hair that went past his own shoulders. His soft eyes still seemed to pierce right through Axel. He smirked a very ugly-looking sneer. "...you can't escape memories of the past."

"...Marluxia..." was all Axel could utter out of pure fear.

**Okay, now I'm REALLY screwing you all over. First, Roxas wins the Riku fight. Then, new Organization members appear. THEN, Maleficent is reborn. As if THAT wasn't enough, Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica approach Roxas and join with him. And now this! What won't I think of? REVIEW!**

**By the way, has anyone heard of "With Me By All Ends?" Y'know, from Sonic and the Black Knight? Wouldn't the lyrics for that song suit well with the Xion battle in KH 358/2 Days? Just asking; if you care, answer it in your optional (but highly recommended) review!**


	10. Memories Of A Distant Friend

**I am really sorry for the long time it took me to update this. Had a bit of timing problems, y'know? And now, for the next chapter of my currently most popular fic!**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 2 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 7 BY AXEL.  
****NUMBER 7 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 9 BY AXEL.  
NUMBER 14 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Ten: Memories Of A Distant Friend_

Axel stepped back in pure shock. Standing right in front of him was Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin. Although by looking at his demeanor, one wouldn't say he was looking very "graceful." Marluxia gave Axel a death glare, as he slowly advanced towards him. Looking behind him, Axel saw the other Organization member take off her hood. The female under the hood was a young adult, with blonde hair that had two strands sticking out in the front like some sort of antennae. Her expression seemed just as dark as Marluxia's.

"How is it possible?" Axel gasped.

"You'd like to know, wouldn't you, traitor!?" Marluxia growled.

"Look who's calling who a traitor, Marluxia," Axel retorted. "I thought you were planning to annihilate Xemnas alongside Larxene."

"We were…but after out "Deaths," we had some new ample motivation," the girl, Larxene, began.

"Oh, such as?" Axel taunted.

"How about revenge against you for all you've done us?" a new voice commanded. Turning his head, Axel saw a black portal appear. Out of the portal walked three men: one man looked old and had faded blonde hair going down his back and down the sides of his face. Another man had a large build, along with scraggly, orangish hair. The final man was probably around Larxene's age, with his hair quaff being as poofy and shiny as ever, but his facial expression was probably darker than Marluxia's, if possible. The old man continued talking.

"None of us have forgotten your actions at Castle Oblivion," the old man growled. Axel just sneered.

"Vexen. And Lexaeus and Zexion, too. What are you all doing alive?" Axel growled. The man with the poofy hair spoke up.

"Well, let's see. After your actions that killed nearly all of us, we eventually came back using something we never expected," the poofy haired man retorted.

"Such as?" Axel taunted. Axel's face then lit up in pain as he tried to turn his head. Looking behind him, he saw the malicious grinning face of Larxene.

"Like we'll tell you," Larxene chuckled. Axel began falling to the floor in pain…whenever he smiled. Without another word, Axel immediately opened up a dark portal and fell directly into it, disappearing from the room. This surprised everyone except the tall and bulky man. Marluxia ran over to the dark portal, but it closed before he could get to it. Marluxia yelled in anger.

"DAMN IT AXEL!" Marluxia shouted, summoning a large, pink-colored scythe from nowhere. Marluxia slammed the scythe into the ground, creating a large gash in the floor. Marluxia grunted in anger for a few more seconds, before regaining his composure and dismissing his scythe. Larxene just laughed.

"Looks like you've got something against Axel, right?" Larxene laughed. Marluxia just shot her a death glare.

"Now what happens?" the tall and tough man asked. Marluxia just turned to him.

"Well, Lexaeus, Axel never caused your demise. But Riku did. I assume you'd want him to have his comeuppance, correct?" Marluxia asked. The bodybuilder, Lexaeus, just nodded his head. Turning to his two friends, Lexaeus talked to the old man first.

"Vexen. Axel destroyed you first out of all of us," Lexaeus reminded. Vexen, the old man, scowled.

"Yes, and he did so under orders by Marluxia…" Vexen growled, staring at Marluxia with a deadly gaze. Marluxia returned said poisonous gaze, until the poofy-haired man stepped in between.

"Hold it, you two," he ordered. Vexen just stared at the poofy-haired man instead.

"What is it now, Zexion?" Vexen growled. Zexion, the poofy-haired man, just sighed.

"Think about it. Axel was assigned to eliminate the traitor. Yet by killing you, that makes him a traitor to the Organization," Zexion reminded. Both Vexen and Marluxia's faces then lit up.

"And he was the last one surviving…other than Riku and Namine, of course," Larxene pointed out.

"What are you saying?" Marluxia asked. Zexion just cooly smiled.

"Why don't we take matters into our own hands? Or, maybe…HIS hands?" Zexion suggested. Everyone was confused on what Zexion meant.

"What do you mean?" Vexen asked. Zexion just snapped his fingers, and a large book appeared in front of him. Zexion shut his eyes and focused all his energy on the book, creating a purplish glow. Everyone stood riveted, although their facial expression didn't show it. The camera closed in on Zexion's face, until his eyes opened wide.

"Got it!" Zexion shouted.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sai"X and Xigbar were blown back into a rock wall forcefully from a blast from before. Before anything could react, Anti-Sora blazed into view, slicing his sharp claws at Sai"X and Xigbar fast and forcefully. Phosnext ran up from behind and slammed his axe upwards to knock Anti-Sora into the air. Anti-Sora flew into the air, but then he did an aerial flip and came back down, knocking Phosnext to the ground immediately and painfully. Cxnik stood from afar, watching and trying to do something.

"_Come on, there HAS to be something I can do!" _Cxnik yelled in his mind. Cxnik then tried to focus all his energy into summoning a weapon…whenever a strange voice appeared in his head.

"_Why would they do that…?"_

Almost immediately after hearing that voice, Cxnik's eyes glowed a bright red, and everything seemed to change color for a split second. Immediately, Anti-Sora was flung around madly like a helpless ping-pong ball. Anti-Sora slammed into a wall, into the ground, was flung into the air, and then started being smacked around at such high speeds from nothing that he was already knocked out before it was over. Anti-Sora then plummeted to the ground, landing a couple feet away from Roxas and the Riku-Replica. Cxnik groped his head in turmoil, before falling to the ground unconscious. Sai"X and Xigbar looked on, shocked, while Phosnext slowly walked over to help Cxnik up.

"Well, looks like the rookie has a power after all," Xigbar joked.

"Wonder what it's for…" Sai"X noted. Both of them got up and walked over to the three knocked-out adversaries. Smiling, Sai"X summoned his claymore and walked over to Roxas.

"Revenge is sweet, isn't it?" Sai"X sarcastically asked to no one in particular. Sai"X was about to bring the claymore down and end Roxas forever…when a dark Keyblade threw his claymore out of his hands. Turning to his right, Sai"X saw the Riku-Replica on one knee…except this time, the Riku-Replica had a dark malice in his eyes that wasn't there before.

"What the-?" Xigbar said, surprised. Riku-Replica just grinned and slammed his fist into the ground. Instantly, two dark claws opened up below and grabbed Xigbar and Sai"X. Phosnext turned around and saw this development.

"Annoying little bug," Phosnext spat, before charging at Riku-Replica. Riku-Replica just threw both Sai"X and Xigbar at Phosnext. Even though Phosnext dodged both of them, Sai"X and Xigbar slammed into the ground painfully. Riku-Replica then stuck his hand in the air, forming a dark energy ball.

"See you fakers later," Riku-Replica grinned. In an instant, the dark ball enveloped Anti-Sora, Roxas, and himself and teleported them away. Phosnext ran up to the spot, and when he was sure they weren't coming back, he slammed his axe into the ground out of anger.

* * *

Zexion's eyes had a strange stare in them, as if he was in a trance. Before anyone, particularly Vexen, could ask what was going on, a dark orb appeared out of Zexion's book. The dark orb floated in front of everyone, before going to the center of the room. The dark orb then spread out quietly, before closing in on itself and imploding. After the implosion, however, everyone saw the Riku-Replica, along with the unconscious Roxas and Anti-Sora lying where the ball was. Riku-Replica got up first, dazed. Zexion shut his book, and the malice in Riku-Replica's eyes disappeared immediately. Roxas and Anti-Sora both began to stir, standing up as they did so.

"How did you…?" Vexen gasped. Zexion just grinned.

"I have to thank Axel for that one. Had he not tried to eliminate me, I wouldn't have had some of the Riku-Replica's power infused inside of me," Zexion explained. Roxas then, even dazed, caught the glimpse of Axel's name and stood up.

"Axel…what do…you know about him?" Roxas muttered, before recognizing the faces of the so-called "killed" Organization members.

"Roxas, I trust you've continued to apply yourself?" Zexion humorously asked. Roxas just stood up, eyes widened.

"How…never mind. I assume you have no idea what's been happening, have you?" Roxas asked, now on the defensive. Marluxia just chuckled.

"All we know is that Axel betrayed someone named Xion. And then we stepped into Axel's view," Marluxia explained. Roxas's eyes widened.

"Betrayed…Xion? How? Did he mean that incident in the Tram Common?" Roxas inquired. Vexen just shook his head.

"No, but maybe his memories can explain. Larxene?" Vexen somewhat-politely asked. Larxene just scoffed and held out the kunai she had used to stab Axel with earlier. The kunai then transformed into a blue card, shaped like a crown. Larxene just threw the card at Vexen, who caught it promptly.

"Roxas…if you wish to know, then trust us. After all, we haven't been here long enough to give a grudge against you," Vexen chuckled. Roxas just summoned his two Keyblades, making everyone in the room go into shock.

"TWO!?" Zexion shouted.

"How did he-!?" Larxene gasped.

"Roxas…!" even Marluxia was astounded. Vexen just yelped and jumped back.

"WHY THE HELL SHOULD I TRUST ANY OF YOU ORGANIZATION MEMBERS!?" Roxas shouted. "If you want me to trust you, give me a good reason. And you'll HAVE to do really well if you want me to believe you for a second. Why? Because I haven't forgotten that two of you are traitors, Xemnas is a liar about who Xion and I really were, and Axel…Axel…YAHHH!"

Roxas then slammed his Keyblades into the ground, proceeding to smash every last object in sight. After breaking several white vases and columns, Anti-Sora stood up.

"Roxas!" Anti-Sora shouted. Roxas stopped and looked at his partner-in-crime.

"What is it?" Roxas asked, obviously not caring.

"Here's a good reason to trust them. These Organization members were killed within these walls…these walls of memory," Anti-Sora explained. "Therefore, even though their powers and body were scattered, their memories were retained within the castle walls. All I needed was for someone to open the doors to the inner parts of Castle Oblivion to re-awaken these old members."

"Why? I thought you hated Organization XIII," Roxas accused.

"If I hated them, why would I join forces with you?" Anti-Sora pointed out. Roxas gasped, then dismissed his two Keyblades and stood up, recomposed.

"Good point. But how could you do it?" Roxas asked.

"Well, I first needed to wait for that imbecile Pete to open the doors and reawaken the old witch Maleficent," Anti-Sora pointed out. "I also needed to wait for someone to die outside of Castle Oblivion. And the first person from the Organization to pass outside of Castle Oblivion was…?"

Roxas then gasped at this revelation. "…Xion…" Roxas moaned.

"Wait, Xion's dead?" Larxene skeptically asked.

"How do you think Roxas can dual-wield Keyblades?" Riku-Replica coldly shot back, obviously being displeased by being in the same room with people who had manipulated him.

"When Xion passed, although I didn't know it was her at the time, I gathered her body's essence of being…and forged my own twin brother from the darkness," Anti-Sora explained. Roxas was now truly surprised.

"Who?" was all Roxas could ask. At that moment, a door leading downstairs slowly opened. Vexen and the others all turned, not surprised to see who was standing there. The only surprised face was Roxas's.

"…I'm sorry I never fully explained it to you before, but now is the time to show you, Roxas. The man you see before you…" Anti-Sora explained. The camera shifted from Roxas's deathly surprised face to show a being clad entirely in black. The being was Roxas's height, and had dark claws like Anti-Sora. Looking up at its face, Roxas could see its malicious intent on slicing open the first enemy it came across. The set-off about it was its composure as well; it didn't act ravenously, but instead it gave off an air of a gentleman, adding a creepier tone to the being. The big revelation for Roxas, however, was the being itself.

"…I'd like you to meet Anti-Roxas, or "The Friend From Beyond The Wall," as the people of Twilight Town call him," Anti-Sora finished.

* * *

Axel had just reappeared within the Round Room in the Organization's castle. Currently sitting in their respective chairs were Xemnas, Xaldin, Demyx, Luxord, Exsan, and Alexx. He had finished his long explanation of how the other Organization members had returned from the grave. Everyone was set-off by this, but Xemnas, Xaldin, and Sai"X were still calm.

"So, now that they're back, what do we do now?" Demyx asked, confused.

"Demyx has got a fine point," Xaldin explained. "But the question is: should we admit them back into the Organization?"

"We already know Marluxia and Larxene are traitorous and they should be eliminated as soon as possible," Xemnas informed. Alexx and Exsan both stared up at their illustrious leader.

"To think we actually had a female member at some point," Exsan sighed.

"Why are the old Numbers XI and XII so bad?" Alexx asked, confused.

"About a year ago, we had a vital mission involving Castle Oblivion and the Keyblade master, Sora," Xemnas explained. "Marluxia and Larxene were planning to overthrow me and destroy me, but thanks to Sora, that plan was halted."

"Halted, more so or less, by Axel himself. However, I do not seem to recall Vexen, Lexaeus, or Zexion being branded as traitors themselves," Luxord pointed out. Xemnas then turned his attention to Axel.  
"Luxord beings up quite an interesting point of discussion, Axel," Xemnas stated. "Vexen was a pillar of success within our Organization. So why would he have happened to disappeared whenever we knew Xion had no memory of that type of assassination after all?"

Axel turned his head away in disgust. The tension was high in the room, but Alexx broke the silence. "Who's Xion?" Alexx asked.

"None of your concern," Xemnas stated. "All you need to know is that she is no longer one of us."

"Oh…" Alexx mumbled, shuddering at that thought. Xaldin then got impatient with Axel.

"Axel, the Superior had spoken. Tell us what you know or perish," Xaldin ordered, summoning one of his six blue air lances as he did so. Xaldin then shot the lance directly at Axel, just barely missing Axel's head and sticking directly into his chair as he did so. Axel didn't flinch, even though some of his hair was shredded by the blade.

"Haha…you missed," Axel half-heartedly taunted. Xaldin clutched his fists together, but Xemnas stuck up his hand. Xaldin got rid of his anger in a somewhat-loud sigh, and he dismissed his lance. Xemnas then stuck up his hand and a dark orb of white electricity formed in his hand, shaping into a large ball.

"What do you know about Castle Oblivion that was kept secret from us?" Xemnas again asked. Axel scowled, before remembering something important. Axel's eyes darted to all the chairs, and Axel grinned when he saw the coast was clear.

"_Looks like the time HAS come…" _Axel thought. Axel then cleared his throat. "Fine, I'll tell you everything you need to know…"

* * *

Roxas was still standing still in shock. Anti-Roxas returned a dark gaze at him, before he spoke up in a creepily similar, yet still dark and distinctive, voice like Roxas's.

"Anti-Sora. Is this the one you duplicated me from?" Anti-Roxas asked.

"Yes, brother. I hope you aren't annoyed," Anti-Sora politely apologized. Roxas then took all this information in and tried to process it in his head.

"_I don't believe this…" _Roxas thought. Vexen then stepped forward, holding the blue card in his hand.

"So, Roxas? Shall I unveil the truth about Axel?" Vexen asked. Roxas turned to him, and just nodded. Vexen grinned evilly.

"Good…" Vexen chuckled, before grasping the card in an even tighter grip. Immediately, the card shone a bright white light, and it enveloped everyone in the room. Everyone was transported to the grounds of an old mansion, and they were outside the brick-and-metal gates leading inside. As soon as Roxas took in the view, he looked at the gates and saw a girl standing there, looking back and forth frantically. Roxas realized who it was in an instant.

"XION!" Roxas laughed, tears of joy almost immediately appearing in his face. Running towards her, Roxas stuck his hands out to embrace her in a hug…whenever he ran right through her like a hologram.

"What the-?" Roxas asked, now surprised. Xion acted as if she hadn't even seen him. Vexen then spoke up.

"Roxas, this is a memory that has already occurred," Vexen explained. "You can't interact with it, because it has already happened."

"Then…?" Roxas asked, confused. As soon as he finished, a dark portal opened up near the entrance to the woods near the mansion. Roxas was surprised, but Zexion just held Roxas's shoulder.

"Watch for yourself," Zexion ordered. Roxas just stared as he saw Axel walk out of the dark portal.

"_Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs…?" _the memory-Axel muttered. The memory-Axel then lifted his hand and shut the dark portal, proceeding to walk towards memory-Xion. Roxas looked at memory-Xion and saw her face turn to a sad expression.

"_Axel…" _memory-Xion sighed.

"_Xion…" _memory-Axel replied. "_…what are you gonna do?"_

"_I've decided that I have to go back to where I belong," _memory-Xion explained. Roxas knew what she meant, and he shed a silent tear for his fallen friend.

"_Well, to be honest, I thought that was best; right from the very beginning," _memory-Axel agreed. Roxas then looked at Axel, confused and slightly angry.

"Wait…did he mean he knew about Xion before any of this ever happened!?" Roxas growled.

"Keep watching, Roxas," Lexaeus ordered. Roxas sighed and continued to watch the memory.

"_But you know, it still really bugs me. Something about this just stinks!" _memory-Axel replied, putting his right hand into a fist as he said so.

"_It's for the good of everyone…" _memory-Xion tried to explain.

"_But how do you know that?" _memory-Axel contradicted. "_Everybody thinks they're right…"_

Roxas then gasped as he realized why this sounded oh so familiar. Having a short flashback to Chapter 5 whenever Roxas woke up in Hollow Bastion alongside Namine and Leon.

"_This is right," _memory-Xion pointed out.

"_THEY'RE GONNA DESTROY YOU!" _memory-Axel screamed, before gasped in surprise. Roxas looked at memory-Xion, and saw that she had summoned her Keyblade.

"_Please don't hold back, Axel. Promise," _memory-Xion asked. Roxas's jaw dropped, and he fell to his knees.

"What…did she say?" Roxas asked, now feeling goosebumps start to rise from his arms up to his neck. Memory-Axel then began to grunt weirdly, while trying to also comprehend that same fact.

"_WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" _memory-Axel screamed. Roxas was surprised by this sudden outburst, and he stared at memory-Axel, looking at him not as a friend, but as a feared foe.

"_You both…think you can do WHATEVER you want…" _memory-Axel sighed. Roxas then widened his eyes, and clutched his hands together.

"Does he mean me…?" Roxas asked. Zexion just put a tighter grip on Roxas's shoulder.

"Focus," Zexion ordered. Roxas continued watching as Axel then straightened up, now angry beyond words.

"_…well, I'm sick of it," _memory-Axel spat. Roxas just began to clench his teeth and fists.

"_GO ON! You just keep running…" _memory-Axel began to finish, sticking out his hand and making a small ball of flame appear below the stretched-out hand. "_…BUT I'LL ALWAYS BE THERE TO BRING YOU BACK!"_

Memory-Axel then summoned one of his trademark chakrams, and was staring at Xion with a death glare. Roxas looked at memory-Xion and saw her face. Roxas even noted a small tear she shed, before she began to run towards memory-Axel, Keyblade in hand. Memory-Xion and memory-Axel's weapons collided with a metallic bang, and everyone, from the unmoving Anti-forms to the sadistic Larxene, were watching the fight unfold intently. Roxas was gasping for air as he sat on his knees, breathless. Memory-Axel smacked memory-Xion right in the stomach with a spinning chakram, and then memory-Xion smacked memory-Axel across his face with her Keyblade. More blows were exchanged, as memory-Axel jumped and ran alongside the brick wall before pushing off and punching memory-Xion right in the face with not his chakrams, but his own fist. Roxas's jaw would've hit the floor, had this been some sort of fantasy cartoon. Unfortuantly for Roxas…it wasn't. Memory-Axel flipped and landed on his two feet, but memory-Xion took opportunity of the moment and cast a Thundara spell, creating many lightning bolts to come down and strike memory-Axel. Memory-Axel was temporarily pre-occupied with the Thundara spell, and memory-Xion took that opportunity to cast a Cura spell upon herself to recover from her wounds. The Thundara spell wore off, and memory-Axel again charged back at memory-Xion, eyes blazing with fury. Memory-Axel threw a chakram at memory-Xion, but memory-Xion ducked right under it and smacked memory-Axel back with her Keyblade. Memory-Axel waggled a finger back towards him in a taunting pose. Memory-Xion took this as an insult and tried, against her will, to continue to fight. The waggling finger wasn't a taunt, however; he was summoning his chakram back to him, and it flew back and smacked memory-Xion in the back. Memory-Xion fell over, dropping her Keyblade. Memory-Axel got his chakrams back and looked down at memory-Xion, who was struggling to stand up. Memory-Xion then re-summoned her Keyblade and sliced at memory-Axel. Memory-Axel gasped in surprise, and he dropped both his chakrams. Both chakrams disappeared in a mist of flame, but memory-Axel continued to stand, although still staggering. Memory-Xion, however, fell over, knocked out by the pain. Memory-Axel slowly turned around and picked up memory-Xion in a bridal-style position. Memory-Axel summoned a dark portal, and he staggered through it. Roxas then stood up, summoning both his Keyblades.

"GIVE HER BACK, YOU LIAR!" Roxas screamed, running towards memory-Axel. Memory-Axel went into the dark portal, and Roxas sliced at him. The dark portal disappeared before the slice could connect, and instead Roxas ended up hitting another white vase to the ground. Looking around, Roxas saw that he and everyone were in the same room as before. Roxas gritted his teeth, now shaking uncontrollably.

"Axel not only did that," Anti-Sora explained. "He had something ELSE on his agenda."

"What 'something else?'" Marluxia asked, intrigued. Anti-Sora just turned to them.

"The Organization's stealth is impeccable, although I find it ironic that they never noticed me or Riku-Replica whenever we spying on them from right under their noses," Anti-Sora sighed. "And I did see something one day that I'm sure you'll want to know…"

Anti-Sora then held up his hand, and a dark ball appeared. Doing the same technique as before with Riku-Replica, Roxas and the others ended up floating outside a window in the Organization's castle. Roxas looked inside, and saw Axel and Sai"X talking.

"_I disposed of Vexen and Zexion for you," _memory-Axel told memory-Sai"X. Memory-Sai"X turned around, quiet.

"_I'll play it your way…for now," _memory-Axel explained.

"_Whenever we find the Chamber Of Awakening in Castle Oblivion, I'll reward you," _memory-Sai"X promised. "_Just hold up your part of the deal and follow orders."_

Roxas just stared. Even Vexen and Zexion were astounded. Looking up, Roxas and everyone else saw Anti-Sora observing everything from a small shadowy hole in the corner of the room. The scenery changed back into the room everyone was in before.

"THAT JERK!" Zexion yelled.

"A set-up all along…by Sai"X," Vexen growled.

"The traitor was him all along, hmm?" Marluxia realized.

"There IS one last thing," Anti-Roxas spoke up. Roxas turned to his Anti-clone, and he saw him pull out a piece of paper. "Whenever I was born from Xion's old body, I found this tucked in a pocket. I believe it would be great if you saw it."

Roxas took the paper and read it aloud.

_I awoke from my failed battle with Axel today. Xemnas had given me ultimate power, more power than I ever could have hoped. I'm surprised Xemnas would allow me to live, but he explained everything. I must either kill Roxas or die trying. Call it a suicide mission, at most. And I accepted it. Xemnas seemed glad I did, but I wasn't doing it for them. I plan to keep all my power held back the entire time. I could use my power and kill Xemnas now…but Riku told me better. Sora must be awakened. And because of which, I cannot fight them. If I die here, Xemnas could use my fading memories and seal them away forever. He told me so himself; he had a fourth device that he had told Roxas, myself, and Demyx to plant at different locations 2 days ago. Now, I will find Roxas and fight him. I plan to take him to Wonderland, then Halloween Town, and then finally Agrabah. But what Xemnas doesn't know…I will use my power and end up in Twilight Town. That way, if I die, my memories—no, Sora's memories—can return to him quicker. Roxas, be prepared. I'm sorry this had to happen, but I'm glad I got to meet you. Even Axel, despite his rash attitude. I hope we can all hang out again someday. I know I will fade away…but maybe we'll end up in a different world; a world where Nobodies go when they perish. I did ask Luxord about it one day; he said such a place didn't exist. But one can hope and dream…and Roxas: if you are reading this, then keep dreaming. Dreams will keep us held together. Dreams of an absolution, Roxas…and this absolution will end when Sora is awoken. Thank you for everything, buddy._

Roxas's eyes widened in pain, and then he screamed extremely loud, louder than anything he ever screamed before.

"AXELLLLL!" Roxas screamed. Roxas then started glowing, before Roxas began to transform. In a flash of light, Roxas was clad in a black cloak with white stripes arranged in a pattern of evil. **(NOTE: similar to Final Form Xemnas's cloak in Kingdom Hearts 2)**

Roxas turned to everyone else, and he summoned a dark portal. "Follow me if you want vengeance," Roxas ordered. Everyone grinned maliciously, as they all charged into the dark portal, heading for the next battle.

**Review if you liked this chapter. You know you want to…:D**


	11. Death And Dark ReBirth

**After a bit of a dull wait for the next chapter, it's time for the newest chapter of Kingdom Hearts: For True Story! Incidentally, this is apparently my most popular fic! A close second is my comedical Sonic's Reality Check. But that's enough stalling.**

**XION REPORTS**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 2 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 7 BY AXEL.  
****NUMBER 7 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 9 BY AXEL.  
NUMBER 13 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 10 BY ANTI-ROXAS AND ROXAS.****  
NUMBER 14 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Eleven: Death And Dark Rebirth_

Namine slowly got up, as she was dizzy from Xaldin's capture of her. She looked around, and she saw Leon, Yuffie, King Mickey, and Aerith, all stirring as well. Eventually, everyone was standing, and they saw that they were entrapped inside a cage. Leon walked over to the bars, getting out his gunblade and swinging at the bars. The swinging was met with pathetic clanks, as eventually Leon's gunsword dented. King Mickey looked around the area, but saw no Keyholes or dark corridor entrypoints.

"This is bad. They've made sure to let nothing get in or out," King Mickey pointed out. A dark portal appeared in front of the cage, and Xaldin stepped out, staring at the captured ones. Leon and the King jumped back, ready to fight.

"Who are you?" Yuffie shouted.

"...none of your concern, ninja," Xaldin spat, his silver tounge not failing him. "Namine, where is Roxas and/or Riku?"

"Like I'll tell you!" Namine cried. Xaldin just summoned one of his lances, and he swiftly threw it between the bars of the cage. The lance hit Namine in the arm, and blood began to spew out. Namine fell over crying, as everyone went over to protect her. King Mickey got his Keyblade ready to use a Cure spell whenever Xaldin used 4 of his other lances to hook the others to the wall. Of course, he had made sure the others didn't get injured, as he wasn't interested in harming them...right now. The King, however, was placed at an angle where, even if he did summon his Keyblade, his Cure spells, no matter how powerful, couldn't reach Namine. Xaldin summoned his final lance, and pointed it straight at Namine. Xaldin launched another lance, hitting Namine in the stomach. More blood, more crying.

"Where the hell are they?" Xaldin growled. Xaldin put up two of his fingers, and both spears that had impaled Namine returned to him. Xaldin then cruelled launched another spear, this time impaling Namine's leg. Namine screamed out in pain as she fell over, nearly fading away from blood loss. Everyone else could only watch in horror.

"I DON'T KNOW! ROXAS WAS TAKEN AWAY BY SOME RIKU-REPLICA!" Namine cried.

"...I will take this information to the Superior later. If you are lying, I swear I will make this a living hell for you," Xaldin warned. "Now, what about Riku?"

All Namine did was wince. Xaldin thrusted another lance at Namine, this one hitting the right side of her chest, near her heart and other vital organs, but not actually there.

"WHERE IS HE!?" Xaldin demanded.

"He's...he's in the Dark Depths...at Hollow Bastion..." Namine sobbed, tears and blood soaking her dress. Xaldin withdrew his two lances, and then he made the lances hover over Namine.

"Cure," Xaldin growled. Immdiately, all of Namine's wounds were healed, with the spilled blood returning itself into her lacerations before they all patched up. Namine fell over, her shirt still stained from tears and the color pigment for blood, crying. Xaldin withdrew all of his lances, and immdiately the others went to help her. Xaldin turned around and left without saying another word.

* * *

Elinx and Sin Juxt looked on from behind the pillars they were stationed behind. So far, the fight between Riku and Maleficent was topsy-turvy. At the beginning, Maleficent's dragon form had kept Riku occupied, but Riku overcome her strengths and began wailing on her powerfully. Maleficent then tried some new tricks she had learned, forcing Riku into a corner. Just when all seemned lost for Riku, however, he managed to comne back on top and fight off Maleficent while the others watched. It was not clear who was going to win this fight, as both sides were not giving up easily.

"...that dragon's totally going to own his ass..." Sin Juxt bet. Elinx rolled his eyes.

"Not now, Sin Juxt. Leave the gambling to Luxord," Elinx sighed.

"Scared you might lose, oh, say, 500 Munny?" Sin Juxt betted.

"You're so damn on," Elinx countered, now betting on Riku to win.

* * *

Xigbar, Sai"X, Cxnik, and Phosnext all dragged themselves into the Nothing's Call, just barely making it forward. As soon as they were off the platform of light that connects the Dark City with the Organization's stronghold, Phosnext laid Cxnik on the ground. Cxnik was still knocked out from his fight with Anti-Sora and the others not too long ago.

"How do you think he managed to pull it off?" Xigbar wondered.

"I'd like to know myself. Perhaps Master Xemnas knows..." Sai"X pondered.

"You called?" Xemnas's voice rang out. A large black portal appeared, and every single Organization member (that appeared in the Round Room last chapter) walked out.

"Xigbar, Phosnext, come over here. Oh, and Phosnext, carry Cxnik over here as well," Xemnas ordered. Phosnext obeyed silently, and Xigbar, confused, walked up next to Xemnas.

"What's up, Xemnas? Something go wrong while we were out?" Xigbar asked, serious. Xemnas turned to Xigbar.

"We have gained enough evidence to incriminate the true traitor of Castle Oblivion," Xemnas explained. Sai"X looked up at Xemnas, confused.

"Haven't we already labeled the traitors as Marluxia and Larxene?" Sai"X wondered.

"Yes, indeed. They were the traitors. And you gave Axel the orders to annihlate them, an action I commend you both for undertaking, even if Axel never directly killed them," Xemnas pointed out. "However, what of the other 3 Organization members who were wiped out at Castle Oblivion?"

"What do you mean, "wiped out?" The Keyblade Master and the Organization faker destroyed them," Sai"X reminded everyone.

"You're half-right," Xemnas growled. "Lexaeus was killed by the Organization faker alone; let that be simple. But what of Vexen and Zexion? They did engage Riku, and Vexen did fight Sora at least twice, from what I can recall."

"I do not follow, Master Xemnas," Sai"X questioned.

"Zexion was killed by the Riku-Replica, under orders from Axel. Vexen was killed directly from Axel. But who gave him those orders? Not Marluxia, that's for sure," Xemnas growled, looking directly at Sai"X. Sai"X's eyes widened, as he saw the entire Organization was now staring at him angrily. Even Phosnext and Xigbar, although theirs were less significant since they were not at the meeting.

"Master Xemnas...what are you saying?" Sai"X asked.

"You gave the orders to kill Vexen and Zexion to Axel," Xemnas explained. "And because of that, we were forced to have Xion and Roxas fight to the death. We could've had two Keyblades wielders to help us gather Kingdom Hearts. But, because of your actions, Vexen's death stopped the Replica Program. None of us could figure out whatever notes Vexen could've taken during Castle Oblivion. And we could NEVER have predicted what would've happened, had Xion been exposed to Riku's malicious words."

Sai"X only stared in disbelief. "In short, YOU are the traitor," Xemnas accused.

"Master Xemnas, let me explain myself. I am no traitor!" Sai"X defended himself. Axel then stepped forward.

"Save it, Sai"X," Axel growled, walking into the middle of the blank space between Sai"X and the Organization. "I told them EVERYTHING."

"...Axel..." Sai"X growled.

"Save it and shut up!" Axel yelled. Sai"X stepped back, suprised. "You only wanted Kingdom Hearts for yourself, and you were willing to betray Xemnas for it. That's why you acted "so mature" all these years; so you could get on his good side. By spearheading the operation to kill Marluxia and Larxene for their traitorous activities, you took the opportunity to have me eliminate Vexen and Zexion for you so you would have less opposition in your way!"

"...Axel...!" Sai"X muttered, tone raised.

"Well, I'm through with your plot. The Organization's motto is to eliminate the traitor. And that's what I intend to do!" Axel threatened. Sai"X just summoned his claymore.

"Have you forgotten who it was that actually killed Vexen and Zexion?" Sai"X announced.

"Have YOU forgotten who it was that gave me those orders?" Axel retorted.

"HAVE YOU DAMN WELL FORGOTTEN WHO IT WAS THAT SAVED YOUR MISERABLE LIFE!?" Sai"X screamed. The scream echoed throughout the empty depths of the castle, as various Nobodies all looked up to observe what was going on. Axel stood there silently.

"...Ias saved my life," Axel uttered. Sai"X stood there, suprised. "Ias was my friend. Ias my my ally. Ias helped me! But you're a shadow of him. You're not Ias; you're Sai"X," Axel spat.

"...Lea...you ignorant..." Sai"X growled.

"I'm the ignorant one? Let's list off the charges: you're accused of being a traitor, you're accused of being responsible for the deaths of Vexen and Zexion, you're accused of being the one who had the Replica Program fail...and you're ALSO accused of making Roxas and Xion...aka my FRIENDS...leave our Organization," Axel listed off. Sai"X scoffed.

"Those two fools you put your faith in? Pathetic. I bet you still think friendship is an emotion you still have. Like I told you before, which would you rather suffer the loss of: some make-beleive friendship...or a real one?" Sai"X reminded Axel.

"Your words contradict themselves, Sai"X," Axel pointed out. "You say Nobodies cannot feel emotions or attachments like friendship, yet you try and make me think we're still friends? IAS WAS MY FRIEND. Not you."

"...Lea was my friend. I never befriended some fool named Axel," Sai"X grunted, getting his claymore ready. Axel just laughed insanely.

"So, you really DO remember our good times as friends?" Axel laughed, sporting a near insane grin. Axel's face then began twitching, and his face slowly contorted into a face full of anger, hate, and rage.

"I'M SO FLATTERED!" Axel screamed, causing a large column of white flames to appear behind Sai"X blocked him from escape. The entire Organization watched, impressed and amazed. Axel then summoned his two chakrams, excpet this time, they had white flames dancing around them. Axel's hair then grew white streaks that led out all the way to each individual tip of his red-headed spikes, and Axel looked up, scowling.

"BUT YOU'RE TOO LATE!" Axel finished, throwing both his chakrams at Sai"X. Sai"X, bewildered beyond belief, put up his claymore and bounced the chakrams back. Axel caught both chakrams like boomerangs, and he ran directly towards Sai"X in a cold-blooded style; the style of an assassin. Sai"X swung his claymore in an arc, and Axel jumped over it, drop-kicking Sai"X to the ground before firing multiple Fire spells from his chakrams. Sai"X swung Axel off of him by re-summoning his claymore, and Axel stood there, waiting for Sai"X to charge. Sai"X charged, and Axel jumped at the last second, making Sai"X run directly into a column of white flame. Sai"X gripped his face in pain as he was burned by the fire and flames, and Axel jumped into the flames themselves. Sai"X looked around, confused. Soon enough, Axel burst out of a small hole in the flames, charging at Sai"X. Sai"X was smacked away by Axel's attack, which also leaving a trail of white flames in his place. Axel jumped into the fire again, and Sai"X expectantly waited. Axel burst out of the top of the firewall this time. Sai"X jumped up and away from Axel, missing his attack just barely. Sai"X threw his claymore down, and it hit Axel back, knocking him to the ground. Sai"X jumped back down and grabbed his claymore, before swinging it wildly. Axel got both his chakrams resummoned, and he then fired a large Firaga spell at Sai"X. Sai"X smacked it directly back at Axel. Big mistake. Axel merely tilted his head, and the fireball went into the firewall. Axel grinned, before putting one arm in front of him. The light in the area dimmed to a point where it was noticably, and Axel then grinned.

"Let's see you dodge this!" Axel taunted, before throwing his chakrams in a saw-like motion. Sai"X was repeatedly battered down by this onslaught, before Axel jumped into the air and launched a blast of white flames in a columnized assault that repeatedly launched Sai"X into the air. As Sai"X spun around in mid-air to regain balance, Axel stuck out his hand. Immdiately, the Firaga spell Axel cast earlier launched out of the firewall, now visibly more powerful that before. Sai"X was hit square in the chest by the fireball, and Sai"X fell directly to the ground. Axel then slammed his hand on the ground, and a large column of fire knocked Sai"X into the sky back at Axel. Sai"X claymore fell next to Axel, and Axel grabbed it, waiting. Sai"X fell dangerously close to Axel, and Axel swung the claymore, effectively hitting Sai"X directly in the side. Sai"X was knocked straight into the firewall, which he bounced off of. Sai"X re-summoned his claymore and used it to stand up...before being hit in the chest by one of Axel's chakrams. Sai"X was knocked over, and his claymore crashed to the ground, disappearing in a flash of light. Axel then sighed, and the white firewall disappeared. Axel's red-hair-with-white-steaks returned to normal, and Axel stared at Sai"X. Sai"X somehow managed to stand back up, looking directly at Axel.

"Lea...why...?" Sai"X grunted. "Why...are you doing this to me...? I'm...your best friend...Ias, remember...?"

Axel turned around, back facing Sai"X. "...Ias was Lea's best friend. My name's Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel said darkly.

Sai"X said nothing as he looked up at Axel, and finally felt fear for the first time in his Nobody life. "...Axel...then...who is?" Sai"X asked. Axel raised his hand in the air, about to snap his fingers.

"I'll tell you who my best friend--no...best FRIENDS--were. They were Roxas and Xion. And now they're both gone," Axel growled. Sai"X looked ahead in fear. Xemnas just looked at Axel, and nodded his head. Axel replied with a slight nod of his head too.

"This is for giving Roxas a living hell during his time in our Organization. And more importantly...THIS IS FOR CALLING XION A GODDAMN FAKE REPLICA, YOU (sorry I have to censor this part). GOODBYE FOREVER!" Axel screamed, snapping his fingers. Sai"X screamed out as the chakram embedded in his chest exploded in an imitation of a hand grendade. Sai"X fell to the ground, parts of him beginning to disappear like small fragments being carried off by the wind. Axel opened a dark portal and walked into it, saying nothing else. The rest of the Organization did the same, as Axel had pretty much said everything they wanted to say for them. Sai"X laid there...fading away...whenever a dark hand stuck itself in front of him. Sai"X managed to look up, and he was staring into the face of Anti-Sora.

"Your friend betrayed you. Roxas thinks Axel is the cause of his sorrow. The Organization left you for dead; you just saw. Come with me, and I'll give you ultimate power...and your heart," Anti-Sora offered. Sai"X, with no time left to spare, stuck out his hand and grabbed Anti-Sora's hand. As soon as he did, a dark surge of energy poured out of Anti-Sora's hand into Sai"X, and Sai"X began transforming. Sai"X's blue hair turned black, his white skin turned black, his claymore reappeared (colored in dark black, obviously), and Sai"X's eyes turned bright yellow. The fragments of Sai"X that faded away returned, and Sai"X stood up, silent.

"Anti-Sai"X...welcome to my own Organization..." Anti-Sora chuckled. Anti-Sora walked past Anti-Sai"X, and he saw Roxas, along with Anti-Roxas, Riku-Replica, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Larxene, and Marluxia coming up the light path leading to Nothing's Call as well. Everyone stopped as they saw Anti-Sai"X.

"Relax. He's one of us now. The Organization just betrayed him, too," Anti-Sora explained. Roxas said nothing as he walked past Anti-Sora, as Roxas was still in his black-and-white cloak. Roxas summoned his dual Keyblades and stared on.

"Let's go pay a visit to some Nobodies," Roxas growled. Roxas continued running, leading the assault with everyone else following...everyone except Anti-Sora.

"_...my queen...it's only a matter of time..." _Anti-Sora thought, before chasing off after the rest of the group to catch up.

**EPIC FORESHADOWING. REVIEW. I LIKE ALL CAPS. No, seriously. Review. And vote on my poll. I'm stuck between 5 fics, and I want your input on which one I should continue!**


	12. Prelude To War

**And now, back from popular demand, is Kingdom Hearts: For True Story! This chapter is dedicated to khfangirl(insert numbers here), The Red One, Riku Uzamaki, everyone ELSE who reviews this story, AND nossida89! The last one is the guy who makes the Kingdom Hearts Crazy Files; I started this chapter the same day he put up episode 27, just out of happiness! And now, the next chapter begins!**

**XION REPORTS**

**NUMBER 1 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 5 BY AXEL AND CXNIK.  
NUMBER 2 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 7 BY AXEL.  
****NUMBER 7 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 9 BY AXEL.  
NUMBER 13 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 10 BY ANTI-ROXAS AND ROXAS.****  
NUMBER 14 OF 14: FOUND IN CHAPTER 4 BY AXEL.**

_Chapter Twelve: Prelude To Oblivion_

The remaining obedient Organization members sat in their respective chairs in the Round Room. The only ones missing were Roxas, Xion, Sai"X, the Castle Oblivion team, Sin Juxt, and Elinx. Xemnas looked down at Sin Juxt's and Elinx's seat, showing a tiny morsel of concern.

"Where are Sin Juxt and Elinx? They should've been back by now," Xemnas asked.

"Perhaps that have encountered resistance," Xaldin suggested.

"There still is the Organization fake," Xigbar pointed out.

"Or that dog guy and the witch we saw at Castle Oblivion," Demyx reminded everyone.

"...what about the old Organization members I told you all about?" Axel sighed. "Sin Juxt and Elinx could be in trouble."

"Sin Juxt and Elinx may be in trouble, yes, but I doubt the other members are such cause of that," Xemnas thought over. "Where did we send them last?"

"I think they were sent out to Hollow Bastion whenever our mission was to find Roxas," Alexx suggested. Phosnext's head lifted up.

"Oh, yeah. They also said they saw some grey-haired guy in our cloak running into some dark castle over in the Dark Depths," Phosnext remembered. Xaldin then cleared his throat.

"It appears our captives were telling the truth about Riku's location after all," Xaldin informed. Xigbar just chuckled.

"Captives? Who could you have captured?" Xigbar joked.

"Namine," Xaldin answered, coldy. Xigbar's joking face went to a serious one.

"Really? Well, lost and found again. Good job, Xaldin," Xigbar complimented. Xaldin just nodded his head.

"Namine said Riku was somehow in Hollow Bastion. Our best bet is there," Xaldin suggested.

"That doesn't explain Sin Juxt and Elinx's disappearance," Xemnas reminded. As soon as he answered, a dark portal appeared in one of the chairs, and a confused Cxnik appeared on the chair.

"Hey, sorry for the worry. Got a bit overworked by some strange power attack. Are Sin Juxt and Elinx back yet from that dark castle?" Cxnik asked. Xemnas just smirked.

"It appears our next mission is clear. Everyone, depart to Hollow Bastion when fully prepared. And be on guard; Riku is powerful, but the witch spotted at Castle Oblivion may also be there as well," Xemnas ordered. As soon as those orders were issured, everyone except for Xemnas, Xigbar, and Cxnik left. Cxnik sighed.

"Oh, well. That was short," Cxnik sighed, about to leave.

"Hold on there, tiger," Xigbar announced. Cxnik looked up, confused.

"What's up?" Cxnik asked.

"I saw your powerful prowess during our feud at Hollow Bastion. I beleive Xemnas has a special mission for you," Xigbar informed, disappearing into a dark portal as he said so. A few seconds of silence followed, until Cxnik looked up at Xemnas.

"What does Xigbar mean?" Cxnik asked.

"...I didn't mention this during the briefing, as I wish to test your skills alone," Xemnas informed. "We have several intruders inside our castle."

Cxnik shuddered. "What?" Cxnik wondered.

"Three of which are the beings you were fighting at Hollow Bastion. There are also 5 Organization members thought to have been killed at Castle Oblivion that have sided with them," Xemnas explained. "I order you to take 2 of them out."

"How will I know which is which?" Cxnik asked.

"If you see someone in an Organization cloak that you haven't seen before, destroy them," Xemnas explained. "However, I did say 5, and I want to eliminate 2 specific members. One has pink hair, and the other is a girl. Kill them, along with the three beings you encountered at Hollow Bastion."

"Yes...but what of the other 3?" Cxnik wondered.

"Leave them to me," Xemnas ended, disappearing in a column of darkness. Cxnik just shurgged and left the room in a corridor of darkness as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Crooked Ascension, Roxas and the group were slowly heading up the elevator leading to the Twilight's View. Normally, the elevator would be running at mach speeds, but Anti-Sora had slowed it down for the sole purpose of the fact that the gang was sneaking in through the secret tunnels Anti-Sora had discovered during his spying sessions on the Organization. Vexen huffed at the sluggish pace of the elevator.

"I would really wish for this abomination to go faster," Vexen scoffed. Anti-Sora cast a glare at Vexen, giving Vexen the chills. **(unintentional pun)**

"So, why are we entering these secret catacombs?" Zexion asked. "Other than evading the Organization's surviving members, of course."

"...I wish to see if there might be anyone else in the castle who might not be an Organization member," Anti-Sora explained, fiddling with some wires from a broken piece of the floor on the elevator. Pretty soon, Anti-Sora clipped two wires at once, and the entire elevator slowed to a halt. Looking up, Anti-Sora saw a mere white metal plate embedded in the wall. Whenever he looked closer, however, he saw that it had been moved several times before. Grinning, Anti-Sora turned to his partners.

"I assume everyone here is at least proficient in gliding?" Anti-Sora asked. Lexaeus opened his eyes, having had them closed for he had no need to observe anything before.

"How do you expect us to glide that far a distance?" Lexaeus questioned. Anti-Sora just reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a green leather bag with a golden string holding the top shut. Opening the bag a tiny bit, Anti-Sora poured out a silvery dust. Throwing the dust in the air, the dust settled around each person on the Crooked Ascension. Afterwards, they all immdiately began gliding. Marluxia was amazed.

"...what is this?" Marluxia asked, curious. Anti-Sora chuckled.

"Just some magical dust I encountered during some of my excursions within the castle," Anti-Sora explained. Vexen took a tiny handful of a clump of dust that had settled on his shoulder, and he became enraged.

"This is the gliding dust I was experimenting on before Castle Oblivion! How dare you infiltrate my room and-!" Vexen began, before a large tendril of dark energy blasted intself towards him. The dark tendril stopped right at Vexen's neck, and Anti-Sora looked malicious.

"...please, go on. Or would you rather test out your experiment before the effects wear off?" Anti-Sora growled. Vexen, swallowing his words, began gliding over to the aforementioned panel. Vexen, with a bit of difficulty, pulled out the white panel, revealing a hidden corridor. Vexen looked suprised when he saw this.

"I never knew this was here..." Vexen remarked. Anti-Sora just glided past him.

"Only Xemnas knew. And his knowledge will be his downfall," Anti-Sora remarked, being the first to enter the new corridor. Vexen followed, followed by Roxas, Anti-Roxas, Larxene, Zexion, Lexaeus, Marluxia, the Riku-Replica, and finally Anti-Sai"X. As soon as everyone entered the room, they heard some moaning at the end of the corridor.

"Wait...that sounds like..." Roxas realized, after hearing the groan. Roxas ran down the corridor, and turned a corner with his allies following. Upon turning, Roxas saw Namine lying inside one of the cells, moaning and rubbing her head. King Mickey, Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith were all comforting her, and she was crying. Roxas saw this, and then grabbed ahold of the bars.

"Namine! What happened!?" Roxas asked frantically. Namine looked up, and everyone else turned, surprised to see Roxas here of all places.

"Roxas? What's with your cloak? How did you-?" Leon asked. Riku-Replica then ran onto the scene, a tad furious.

"Roxas! We can't let the Organization know we're here!" the Riku-Replica reprimanded. (try saying THAT 5 times fast) Yuffie then recognized the Replica immdiately.

"YOU! You're the guy that attacked Roxas!" Yuffie accused. Riku-Replica just crossed his arms.

"Whatever. I needed to test him. After all, he needs to be ready to stop the Organization's plans alongside us," Riku-Replica pointed out. King Mickey cautiously stepped forward.

"Who's "us?"" the King asked. Riku-Replica smirked, then sent a hand gesture towards where Roxas and himself came from, as if motioning "everything's okay; reveal yourselves," had it been in words. Anti-Sora and the rest of the gang came out cautiously, coming into everyone's view. The sight of more Organization members surpised them, and they all moved back.

"ORGANIZATION XIII!" the King shouted. Namine just huddled back, scared.

"Mar...Marluxia..." Namine whimpered. Marluxia and Larxene immdiately recognized Namine, and they both scowled.

"Well, if it isn't the uppity little Nobody," Larxene sneered. Roxas turned around, angry.

"DON'T CALL HER UPPITY!" Roxas screamed. Larxene stepped back, shocked. **(again, unintentional pun)**

"Don't you yell at me!" Larxene retorted, although this retort fell on deaf ears as a very concerned Roxas turned to Namine.

"What happened to you?" Roxas asked. Namine just shuddered.

"Xaldin...he...he..." Namine tried to explain.

"What?" Roxas asked. "What did he do? I swear, if he hurt you..."

"That's exactly what he did," Leon explained. Roxas turned to Leon, suprised.

"Say what?" Roxas asked, trying to remain calm.

"Xaldin pressed Namine for information using force...a very bloody force, at that," Leon explained, pointing to the ground where Namine stood. Namine's wounds and blood count were normal and healed, but the pigmentation and plasma of the blood still lied on the ground, staining the white metal. Roxas's pupils dilated, and he gripped his fists tightly.

"...where is he?" Roxas asked, darkly.

"He's heading towards Hollow Bastion. He's trying to eliminate Riku," Aerith explained.

"...Anti-Sora..." Roxas began. Anti-Sora just nodded his head.

"It seems we must return in order to end this bout," Anti-Sora agreed. Anti-Sai"X silently opened a dark portal, and everyone turned to him. Namine was the most shocked.

"What!? What happened to him?" Namine wondered.

"...we'll explain along the way," Lexaeus spoke up, breaking the iron bars holding Namine and the others captive with his axe sword while saying so. No one took any spare time, as everyone ran into the portal to leave. Unfortunatly, Cxnik ran up at the last second, having heard everything from hiding behind the corner.

"So they ruin our elevator, break our property, commit a jail spree, then try to flee? You're not getting away!" Cxnik shouted, barrel-rolling into the dark portal as he did so. Soon after, everyone was gone from the cell area, the only objects remaining being the broken pieces of iron Lexaeus had smashed.

* * *

Back in the dark castle, Riku nearly avoided another of Maleficent's green flame blasts. Flipping sideways, Riku shot a dark orb while in midair, hitting the Maleficent dragon in the chest. Maleficent swung her spiked tail in an arc, missing Riku and barely missing Oogie Boogie.

"HEY! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Oogie shouted. Maleficent ignored this as she continued to blast fire blasts at Riku, who kept dodging and deflecting.

"Is that all you got?" Riku taunted.

"FOOL!" Maleficent shouted, firing more green flame balls at Riku in a wide-spread area. Riku smirked and again pulled up a dark shield. The green flame balls exploded around Riku, creating a dark smoky mist. Maleficent grinned, as she had wanted this to happen. Swinging her tail around to smack Riku in the side, Riku was thrown right into a wall. Groaning, Riku got up as he saw Maleficent's spiked tail come down at him. Riku jumped out of the way, barely missing the hit.

"Just stand still so I can squish you!" Maleficent growled. Riku calmed down at Maleficent's spaz; if she was getting hasty, that means she was tiring out. Riku continued his assault of dodging and firing small blasts at Maleficent until a large assault of energy arrows rained down from above, landing between Riku and Maleficent, but also hitting them as well. Turning around and looking upwards, Riku saw Xigbar standing there, smiling.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Xaldin was right after all," Xigbar joked. Xaldin then walked out from Xigbar's side view.

"How dare you have doubt..." Xaldin growled, before summoning his six lances. Looking around them, Riku, Maleficent, and the other dark members saw Demyx, Luxord, Axel, Xemnas, Phosnext, Alexx, Exsan, and Stexven also appeared around the room. All of them were holding their weapon of choice, and were looking down at everyone intently.

"Who are you scallywags!?" Captain Hook shouted. "Begone, the lot of you!"

"Hey! I recognize those cloaks! You guys messing with me again! Oh, I'll get you good for that Never Land incident!" Pete shouted. Each Organization member just juimped down to their level. Maleficent, taking the advantage, swung her large tail in an arc that would hit Riku AND some of the Organization, but Xemnas jumped in front of her face and used his ethereal blades to knock her out of her dragon form. Of course, Xemnas had also attacked at the exact moment Maleficent hit Riku, so he could eliminate two birds with one stone. Maleficent deformed back to her normal witch form, and she grabbed her scepter.

"How dare you strike me!" Maleficent shouted. Maleficent fired a green flame blast from her hand, but Xemnas effortlessly set up an ethereal shield that not only nullified the blast, it sent it directly back at her. Maleficent was knocked over, and Xigbar pointed his arrowgun directly at her head.

"I would say stay down, but I bet you aren't, are you?" Xigbar joked. Maleficent fired a green flame blast at Xigbar in response, but Xigbar just teleported to a different location, now standing on thin air itself.

"Clever little sneak. But not clever enough," Xigbar laughed, firing many arrows at Maleficent. Maleficent hid under her black cloak, but she still got injured from the arrows. Xigbar ran out of arrows, and he grinned.

"R...for Reload!" Xigbar shouted, reloading his arrowguns as he did so. Maleficent took the opporunity to charge at Xigbar, but Xigbar just teleported out of the way. Before Maleficent could react, Xaldin flew down immdiately, on his lance dragoon. Xaldin cackled evilly, before firing a large wind gust that flew Maleficent into a wall. Oogie Boogie just got some dice out, and began shaking them.

"Let's see how they handle my game!" Oogie chuckled, before Luxord appeared in front of him.

"Well, then, if you think your game has no stakes against you, I'll prove you wrong," Luxord coolly insulted. Oogie just scowled.

"We'll see!" Oogie grunted. Luxord just summoned his cards.

"This first run to run out of time is the loser..." Luxord foreshadowed, grinning darkly. Oogie threw his dice at Luxord, but Luxord just snapped his fingers. Immdiately, cards with the Nobody insignia on them swiftly cut the dice in half, also cutting in half the Soldier Heartless that were entrapped inside the cubes. Luxord then began spinning his cards in mid-air like a magician.

"Let's see how your fate resides in the chips," Luxord wondered, before surrounding Oogie with cards. Insantaneously, Oogie was transformed into a six-sided dye with Oogie's face being on the "1" dot. Oogie began hopping around, as Luxord continued toying with him using his cards's strength. Meanwhile, Stexven and Phosnext were attacking the sea witch Ursula with all their might.

"You can't control the power of the sea!" Ursula growled, lifted her hand into the air. A large, water-like blast shot out, about to hit both Stexven and Phosnext. Before the whip of water could make contact, Demyx jumped in front of everyone and strummed a couple of tunes on his sitar. Immdiately, the water stopped in its tracks, much to Ursula's chagrin.

"How are you-?" Ursula asked, although she never finished it as she was shocked into submission by an electric attack from Exsan, who had come to his allie's aide. Captain Hook was running around the scene, trying to flee like a cowardly chicken. He could not escape, however, as Alexx appeared in front of him and knocked him into submission. Riku got up from his previous attack and began sneaking his way out of there, trying to avoid getting injured or noticed. Riku suceeded in making his way past everyone, since Xemnas, Xigbar, and Xaldin were busy fighting Maleficent, Luxord was toying with Oogie Boogie, Alexx was destroying Captain Hook, and everyone else was working together to annihlate Hades and Ursula. Riku snuck his way into the dark halls that he entered earlier, whenever Sin Juxt and Elinx stepped in his path.

"Well, trying to flee, you chicken?" Sin Juxt growled. Riku just gasped as Sin Juxt pointed his bow and arrow down at Riku...before a large energy wave hit both of the Organization members and sent them sprawling into a dust cloud caused by Ursula being slammed into the ground from a combination of a Gravity and Aero spell caused by Stexven. Riku looked up, and saw two eyes gleam at him.

"...move now," the mystery voice commanded. Riku recognized the voice instantly. Riku himself didn't know why, but he pushed himself out of the way immdiately. Riku looked up, and, even with his blindfold on, he could make our the voice.

"...Roxas?" Riku asked. Yes, indeed, it was Roxas, clad in his black-and-white outfit. Roxas was staring intently at the fight scene taking place in front of him. Before Roxas could say anything, Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas walked up.

"I assume you'll lead the assault?" Anti-Roxas asked. Riku heard this voice, and was shocked.

"Who's there?" Riku asked. Namine ran up to Riku.

"Don't worry. They're friends," Namine reassured. Riku, hearing Namine's voice, calmed down a bit.

"Namine, what's...going on?" Riku wondered.

"I know you're still trying to master the darkness, Riku (this caught the attention of Anti-Sora), but take off your blindfold. You'll need to see this," Namine asked. Riku, silently, took off his blindfold, and immdiately a dark aura enveloped Riku. Riku then turned into a large man with dark skin and silvery hair. Riku's pupils were like tiger pupils, and he blinked several times before turning to Roxas. Riku was suprised at Roxas's clothing change. Before anyone else could say anything, Roxas summoned both his Keyblades, head looking down at the floor. The camera then zoomed in on Roxas when his head lifted up. Roxas's face was infused with the purest form of anger itself, with traces of sadness in the expression as well. Roxas growled a bit, his breathing increasing, before he screamed so louldly everyone fighting stopped in their places.

"**XEMNAS!" **Roxas screamed. As everyone stopped, many large waves of energy flew out of the dark corridor, hitting everyone significantly. Everyone got up, facing the dark hallway respectively. Roxas walked out, teeth gritting darkly, his hair casting the darkest shadow over his eyes. Axel gasped.

"...Roxas..." Axel murmured. Roxas looked forward at Xemnas, rage in his eyes.

"Xemnas forced you onto this path, Roxas," Anti-Sora reminded Roxas, stepping into everyone's view. Immdiately, Maleficent just gaped.

"Sora?" Maleficent asked. The dark group and the Organization were astounded, even when Anti-Roxas appeared.

"They were all traitors to you from the start," Riku-Replica informed, stepping into view as well. Maleficent was suprised at this too.

"Riku? No, you're different..." Hades mentioned.

"But you might be wondering who the biggest traitor would be...?" Marluxia's menacing voice asked rethorically, as his large Reaper Nobody (his Nobody he was commanding in Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories) appeared in the air above Roxas's assault sqaud. Sitting on one of the Reaper's shoulder was Larxene. Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion all appeared from the dark hallway as well.

"Ask yourself this question, Roxas. Who betrayed you the most?" Zexion asked. Anti-Sai"X made his appearance, stunning even Xemnas. Anti-Sai"X stood quietly, as if he was waiting. Roxas, now purely angry against all emotions, began smiling. Roxas's eyes then went wide, and he began laughing evilly. This effectively scared everyone, even Roxas's allies.

"What...?" Xigbar asked, confused.

"Dude, you're creeping me out," Demyx warned. Roxas just looked up, eyes malicious and bloodthirsty, with a creepy smile you would only see on clowns.

"Oh...I'm creeping you out? Do you mean fear? Do you mean emotions? Well, you're wrong! You're not creeped out; you're only remembering what it was like," Roxas explained in a seemingly-high-voiced tone, as if his mind was breaking. "Nobodies can't FEEL. Nobodies can't LOVE. Nobodies can't even EXIST! Isn't it just GRAND!?"

Xemnas was backing away at this point. "But you all lied. I had a heart. Otherwise it would be impossible for me to wield a Keyblade. Oh...someone else wielded a Keyblade, too. Her name was Xion," Roxas reminded everyone. Anti-Sora was impressed, and was liking where this was going. Giving a single with a wave of the hand, everyone began backing away slowly.

"And Xion fell in love with me! We were made for each other as pals! But Xion was literally "made," if you know what I mean. No? Well, maybe your Replica program might clear up some facts," Roxas laughed. Zexion and the other old Organization members were surpised to hear that.

"But what happened to dear, sweet Xion? Oh. She died. Because of me. No...because she was corrupted. By whom?" Roxas asked, his facial expression now twitching. Roxas's head then fell over, and his creepy grin began twitching violently. The camera focused on Roxas's pupils, and it literally looked like they snapped in two. Roxas's grin faded into the darkest scowl anyone could ever imagine, and the song "Fight the Knight" began playing.

_My will to fight the knight_

"Organization XIII corrupted her," Roxas growled.

_My will to fight the knight_

"XEMNAS corrupted her..." Roxas continued.

_My will to fight the knight_

"And you will PAYYYY!" Roxas screamed, putting both Keyblades in the air. Before anyone could see what would happen next, large columns of light appeared around Roxas, and a hurricane-like storm of meteors made of light began raining down upon each and every dark being in front of him. Since his rage was focused on Organization XIII, preferably Xemnas, Maleficent and her gang got some scrapes, but they were able to get out of the actual fight easily.

_Will to fight _

Roxas, growling like a madman, then teleported right in front of Xemnas. Before Xemnas could react, Roxas's Keyblades, now floating in mid-air, began slicing at Xemnas unforgivingly. Roxas himself was shooting meteors of light from his left hand, while his right hand shot columns of light in various directions, hitting other Organization members trying to attack him from behind.

_In a world that's time is right_

Xaldin broke through and tried stabbing Roxas, but he turned around and began choking the life force out of Xaldin with many meteors to the face.

_And I'm alive_

Xigbar appeared right behind Roxas and shot him point-blank in the back of Roxas's head with an arrow. Roxas didn't even get so much as a scratch; he immdiately turned around and shot Xigbar with a column of light.

_On my own_

Roxas then threw both Keyblades in the air.

_From a world that seems alone_

Roxas jumped into the air, missing a blast from Luxord and Xemnas. Roxas appeared right above his Keyblades, and he stuck his hands in the air.

_And I'm alive_

Roxas then, in one swift move, began forming a large energy ball made from the power of nothingness itself. Roxas's Keyblades began shooting light meteors and light columns in all directions, and each Organization member was finding it difficult to even come close to Roxas. Maleficent and her group formed an invisible dark shield barrier around the battle, effectively protecting themselves (and, consequently, Roxas's group) from the attacks.

_My will to survive_

Roxas then appeared right above the large ball and he blasted the ball down into the ground. The resulted explosion sent each Organization member flying, and Roxas took no time knocking Demyx unconscious with a slash across the face. Alexx was also knocked into submission from various slugs and punches to the face from Roxas himself. Roxas turned around and countered a spear attack from Xaldin, and then Roxas shot another light meteor in Xaldin's face, blinding him momentarily. Roxas sliced Xaldin multiple times, before he punched Xaldin with so much force he hit the concrete floor and cracked it.

_My will to fight the knight_

Xemnas tried using his ethereal blades to cut up Roxas, but Roxas just grabbed one of the blades with his bare hand. Even though this cut through the leather gloves and made Roxas's hand begin to bleed, Roxas felt no pain; only revenge.

_My will to fight the knight_

Roxas then began ruthlessly stabbing Xemnas with the Oblivion Keyblade, laughing as he did so.

_My will to fight the knight_

Phosnext came up from behind with Exsan and they both tried hitting Roxas at once. Roxas, not wanting to be rid of his fun, turned around and, with one slice from his Oathkeeper Keyblade, he silenced both Exsan and Phosnext. They both fell to the ground, knocked out.

_Face the knight_

Xaldin then flew back up with an Aeroga spell, his lance dragon already beginning to fire wind blasts.

_In a world of evil light_

Roxas literally grabbed the wind and threw it right back at Xaldin, smacking him into the ground again. Roxas grabbed all six of Xaldin's spears, along with his own two Keyblades, and he pointed them down at Xaldin.

_And I'll survive_

Roxas then shot the lances and Keyblades down at Xaldin in a forceful show of light columns, light meteors, wind lances, AND Keyblades. Xaldin was knocked unconscious, all of his spears impaling parts of his body that would injure him, but not kill him.

_On my own_

Roxas then spun around and hit Luxord in the face, knocking Luxord's cards out of his hands.

_Overthrown yet not alone_

Roxas then did an uppercut slice that knocked Luxord back, launching himself directly towards Elinx and Sin Juxt.

_And I'm alive_

Roxas then smacked both Elinx and Sin Juxt with his Keyblades. Roxas was impaled several times by Sin Juxt's arrows, but even then Roxas didn't feel pain.

_My will to survive_

Roxas then impaled Sin Juxt through the chest with Oblivion, and Elinx through the chest with Oathkeeper. At the last moment, Elinx casted a Cure spell on them (and also Roxas) to prevent them from dying. Sin Juxt and Elinx fell to the ground, unconscious, while Roxas's minor wounds were all healed. Roxas then turned and saw only Xemnas, Xigbar, Axel, Luxord, and Stexvan remaining. Roxas charged at Stexvan first, wanting to get rid of the dead weight.

_My will to fight the knight_

Roxas then shot a column of light directly through Stexvan. Stexvan fell to the ground, struggling to keep from fading.

_My will to fight the knight_

Roxas then charged at Luxord, smacking him across his face repeatedy, sending streaks of blood everywhere.

_My will to fight the knight_

Roxas then knocked Luxord into the concrete ground at full throttle, knocking him out too. Looking up, Xigbar began firing many arrows at Roxas. Axel looked on, surpised and scared.

_Will to try_

Roxas charged forwards towards Xemnas and Xigbar. Xemnas had now summoned a mass of ethereal blades, and, like Xigbar, was firing them down upon Roxas.

_I will meet you eye to eye_

Roxas used one Keyblade to deflect each and every blast, before coming close to Xigbar. Roxas sliced right through Xigbar, knocking Xigbar unconscious and sending him to the ground painfully.

_And I'll survive_

Roxas then stopped on a dime, his face less than an inch away from Xemnas's. They were both looking eye to eye, except Xemnas's face was filled with fear.

_Dead of night_

Roxas's Keyblades began glowing, and many columns and meteors of light appeared in a similiar fashion to what Xemnas had just done.

_Feel the power, feel the might_

"Die you old bastard," Roxas spat, as Roxas snapped his fingers. Roxas teleported away from Xemnas, and the various light attacks began charging at Xemnas.

_And I'm alive_

Xemnas was smashed into by many columns of light and was imapled several times by light meteors. When the onslaught was over, Xemnas began falling to the ground. Roxas appeared on the ground right underneath where Xemnas was about to land.

_My will to survive_

Roxas then, using one Keyblade, sliced Xemnas as he fell to the ground. Xemnas landed into the ground, blood beginning to pool around him. Roxas, with a deadly glare, looked down into Xemnas's face. Without another word, Roxas plunged his Oblivion Keyblade into where Xemnas's heart would be, impaling Xemnas easily.

"How ironic. You are dying by me impaling you in the one place where you say you lack it," Roxas laughed, implying "it" being a heart. Xemnas, shuddering, looked up at Roxas, and finally felt fear. Roxas's laughter then grew strong and dark; demonic even. Maleficent's gang stared on, gasping in terror. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith, having helped to tend to Riku's wounds, were shocked. Each "traitorous" Organization member began throwing off their cloaks, revealing their original clothing, out of pure fear. Namine was crying. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas looked on, speechless...suprised...and scared.

* * *

"_NO!_" Cxnik shouted mentally, having seen the entire fight from having appeared above the battlefield. "_I WON'T LET MY ALLIES DIE!"_

Cxnik then focused his entire strength on trying to attack Roxas, but nothing happened. Cxnik was scared out of his wits, and he continued to focus energy; this time on something else.

"Come on...come on..." Cxnik mumbled. Soon, Cxnik's eyes turned purple. Cxnik unleashed his energy, sending everyone in the room into a teleportation field. After the flash ended, no one was left in the room. No...there was another presence. Some echoy clicking was heard, as if it was footfalls. A being appeared out of the dark corridor where Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Riku were at.

"So, Kingdom Hearts is able to be accessed here?" the man asked out loud. Laughing a slightly dark laugh, the man walked out of the darkness, revealing himself to be DiZ.

"Organization XIII will falter now. Even if Roxas kills them first, I will have the last laugh. No Nobody deserves to exist," DiZ omniously quoted, since no one could hear him.

**This is probably the most kick-ass chapter I've ever written before. I have SO wanted to write this since I envisioned it, and now it has happened. Enjoy and review, fellow fans of Kingdom Hearts and Roxas!**


	13. Tears Of Flame

**This one's sad, so be prepared! Also, I've been getting annoyed with the Xion Reports (I'm not getting rid of them), but I'll just get rid of where they were originally located. Easier and less time-consuming for me.**

_Chapter Thirteen: Tears Of Flame_

The screen started out a pure white, until the glare reduced to a visible one. The defeated Organization members were all sprawled out on the white floor, having apparently been shoved into one corner of the room by Cxnik's teleportation tactic. Maleficent's dark gang was in the other corner, and all of them were adjusting to the bright room. Axel was one of the only "enemy" Organization members still conscious; the other was Xemnas, who was barely holding on to his half-life. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith, along with Riku, the rebellious Organization members, and the Anti-forms were standing next to an open door. The open door seemed to be the only exit out of the white-walled, white-ceiling, and white-floored room. Cxnik was outside the door, unknown to everyone, and he turned and saw a row of white pods in the hallway. Most of them were empty, but two pods held two seperate figures in each. One of them looked to be like a dog in knight's armor, while the other one was a duck in a magician's outfit.

"_...what is this?" _Cxnik thought. Cxnik turned his head and saw the group by the door, backs to him. Cxnik slowly approached from behind, with no intent to attack until he figured out the situation at hand. Inside the pure, white room, Namine and Riku instantly realized where they were when they saw Sora' pod in the center of the room.

"SORA!" Riku shouted, getting up and beginning to run to his pal. Before Riku could get closer, however, Roxas, who had been standing like a stone pillar inbetween the pod and the group by the door, knocked Riku away into the floor.

"...stop," Roxas commanded darkly. Riku just looked up.

"You idiot! Sora's not safe anymore!" Riku shouted.

"...you're half-right. Look. The Organization is defeated," Roxas reminded Riku, pointing to the group of knocked-out Organization members. Larxene just appluaded.

"I didn't know you had it in you to take down those guys alone!" Larxene laughed. Marluxia just brushed his hand past his hair.

"It looks like we tragically overlooked you during your first trip to Castle Oblivion," Marluxia chuckled. Zexion then stepped forward.

"There's one remaining," Zexion pointed out, pointing to Axel, who was standing up, having apparently been knocked over by the sudden burst of light and short feeling of disorentation afterwards. Roxas just began walking up to Sora's pod as he did so.

"...you caused all of this..." Roxas emotionlessly said, as he looked up at the sleeping Sora. "Because of you...Xion..."

Marluxia was confused. "What are you doing?" Marluxia asked. Xemnas managed to twitch his head sideways, barely managing to hold on.

"Rox...Roxas...I gave...you...shelter...and purpose...this is how...you repay...me...?" Xemnas managed to utter. Roxas just stared on at Sora. Then the memories began pouring back.

"_Is it that I'm not supposed to exist?" _Xion's voice asked.

"_Do I still have any friends that I belong with?" _Roxas's inner voice asked, in a sad tone of voice.

"_Oh, what a shame. Did it break again?" _the old Sai"X growled, in Roxas's memories of course. Roxas just looked up at Sora, angry.

"YOU CAUSED ALL OF THIS!" Roxas screamed, pointing his Keyblade at Sora's body. Riku saw what Roxas was trying to do, and he immdiately kicked Roxas away.

"NO! Sora's not part of this!" Riku shouted, putting back on his blindfold and returning to his normal form as he said so. Roxas just got up, angry.

"Sora was the thing that connected both me and Xion! And now you say he's not part of this!?" Roxas screamed, punching Riku away. "You'll pay..."

Xemnas realized what Roxas was going to do, and he grinned. "Yes...Roxas...he...caused all...of this...well...I did, too...but...it wouldn't...have happened...if it...wasn't for...Sora..." Xemnas gasped. Marluxia and Larxene watched in amazement, secretly impressed by Xemnas. Roxas just stared angrily at Sora. Riku jumped back up to try and stop Roxas, but Roxas blew back Riku with several slashes from his Keyblades before he could make any contact. Riku fell over, managing to get up again, but with difficulty.

"Roxas!" Riku shouted. "Don't you dare!"

"Why should I stop!? Sora is the "key" factor in all of this Kingdom Hearts nonsense! Because of him...Xion suffered," Roxas growled. Roxas screamed in anger, throwing his Oblivion Keyblade directly in the glass case surrounding Sora. Instantly, the glass case shattered, sending pieces of glass flying everywhere.

"SORA!" Namine shouted. Sora fell to the ground, still unconscious. Roxas stared down at Sora, with cold malice in his eyes.

"Xion will be freed from her torment..." Roxas growled, getting ready to kill Sora with his Oathkeeper Keyblade.

"But that was Xemnas's fault! Sora's innocent!" Riku pleaded. Roxas just smacked Riku into the wall. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith all stepped forward.

"Okay! SOMEONE explain to me what's going on here!" Leon ordered.

"I wish I knew..." Pete mumbled. Maleficent then got up, staring at the unconscious Sora.

"Well, it looks like I can get my revenge after all..." Maleficent grinned. Maleficent pointed her staff at Sora and fired a green fireball at him. Before the fireball could make contact with Sora, a chakram flew by and slammed into the fireball, eliminating it instantly. (Cue "The Other Promise.") The chakram returned back to Axel's hand. Roxas turned away from Sora and saw Axel standing in front of the K.O.'d Organization XIII.

"Axel..." Roxas mumbled.

"Roxas...what's your next move?" Axel asked. Roxas just looked down at the floor towards the unconscious Sora.

"I will free Xion. She's the last thing I have left," Roxas replied.

"What about us? We're friends; best friends," Axel reminded Roxas. Roxas looked up in anger.

"Friends!? As if! You never told me what I needed to know about myself!" Roxas shouted.

"I didn't want you to be labeled as an Organization traitor!" Axel pleaded. "I couldn't stand to tell you the actual truth behind everything!"

"Oh, you mean the fact that I am Sora's Nobody? The fact that we don't exist? Or the fact that me and Xion were one and the same from the start!?" Roxas yelled.

"Wait, what did he mean by that...?" Pete mumbled. Roxas just threw one of his Keyblades in anger at Pete. Pete yelped and ducked, the Keyblade missing him by inches.

"SILENCE!" Roxas yelled. Roxas then turned to Axel again. "I JUST WANTED THE TRUTH, BUT I ONLY GOT EMPTY PROMISES!"

"...are...you so...suprised? We're...Nobodies...everything we say...is empty..." Xemnas uttered.

"...then why didn't you tell me I had a heart all along?" Roxas pointed out. Xemnas and Axel gasped. Riku looked confused. Namine was suprised beyond belief as well. The rebellious Organization members were all in shock.

"What do you mean?" Zexion began. "We're Nobodies. We don't have hearts."

"Only the true of heart can wield the Keyblade! So why do I wield it then!? NOT BECAUSE I'M SORA'S DAMNED NOBODY, NOOOOO! I was lied to this entire time!" Roxas screamed. Roxas then turned to Axel in rage. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas continued to look on.

"...this is straying from our original plan," Anti-Roxas whispered.

"...yet it will all end the same. Roxas is playing a role different from the original plan, but I think we can use this to our advantage," Anti-Sora chuckled. Anti-Sora then looked directly at Roxas. "ROXAS! Like I told you before, you have a hidden heart! And Xemnas and the Organization betrayed you to use you! Remember that!"

"_What the bloody hell is he saying!? It's almost as if he wants to...WAIT!" _Xemnas thought, exasperated. Before he could say anything, a dark tendril covered his mouth. Looking onward, he saw Anti-Roxas grinned darkly, mocking Xemnas by making a 'Shh...' noise as he did so. Roxas then screamed and charged at Axel.

"THE ORGANIZATION WILL PAY FOR THIS!" Roxas yelled. Axel then jumped out of the way, suprised. Everyone was in shock as the following events began to play out before them. Roxas first slammed Axel in the side with both Keyblades, knocking him out of the way. Axel summoned his chakrams, flipped onto his hands, jumped into the air, and fired both flaming chakrams at Roxas in defense. Roxas easily slammed them both away, and jumped up to Axel. Axel summoned his chakrams again, but Roxas blasted through his defenses and started beating Axel down in mid-air. Axel summoned a chakram right under Roxas's chest, and the arrival of the flaming chakram cut through Roxas's robe and sliced open his stomach. Roxas was blown back in searing pain, before casting a Cure spell upon himself. Roxas timed his movement just right, and he flipped in mid-air before colliding with the ground. Roxas saw Axel charging down at him, and Roxas slammed both Keyblades into the back of Axel's head, sending him sprawling into the ground with intense force. The collison of Axel's face with the floor was so great, the shock nearly knocked over everyone standing up. Roxas landed far away from where Axel was, getting on the defensive. Whenever Roxas looked back up, Axel wasn't lying on the ground as expected. Roxas turned around and was subsequently punched in the face by Axel, who had apparently come out of a dark portal from behind Roxas. Roxas, blood coming from his mouth, was sent sprawling until he crashed into the corner where the wall and floor met. Roxas got up, grunting, before charging straight back at Axel. Axel threw both chakrams at Roxas, and Roxas clashed them both away with his Keyblades. Axel, getting ready, easily evaded Roxas's two Keyblade assault, before punching Roxas away with a doctor's perscription of two flaming chakrams to the abdomen. Roxas got up panting, heavily.

"Roxas, I don't want to attack you! We're best friends! I don't care if the emotions are a ruse or not!" Axel shouted. Roxas just scowled.

"...oh, really? I beleive I remember you teaming up with Sai"X over there before the Anti-Transformation to kill off most of the Organization to achieve your goal..." Roxas retorted. This caused most of the other Organization rebels to look at Axel in disgust, minus Lexaeus since Axel had nothing to do with him.

"Even so, it's not like you care about them! You...and me...and Xion too! I wouldn't want to attack either of you!" Axel pleaded. Roxas then looked up, obviously enraged beyond belief.

"YOU GODDAMN **LIAR!" **Roxas screamed. "I SAW YOUR MEMORIES IN CASTLE OBLIVION! YOU ATTACKED XION AT THE OLD MANSION'S GATES!"

Axel gasped, speechless. "Even now you STILL lie..." Roxas muttered. "...you know what? Screw it."

Roxas then stood up, emotion gone from his face. "Anger did help me K.O. everyone behind you, but you know what: I really don't care if they live or die. Anti-Sora! I know you and Riku-Replica have a bone to pick with them! If you want them dead, go ahead and kill them!" Roxas shouted.

"...well, isn't this a treat..." Riku-Replica chuckled, before walking over to the knocked-out Organization. Anti-Sora followed, with Anti-Roxas by his side. Axel looked back, then grinned.

"Getting rid of them...so they can't get rid of us! Genius, Roxas!" Axel laughed, turning back to Roxas as he did so. Axel was then greeted with a Keyblade to the face, as he was knocked over by that blast. Axel, one eye closed shut from where the Keyblade hit, looked up and saw an emotionless and...almost bored Roxas standing over him.

"Wha...?" Axel asked. Roxas just shook his head.

"Axel, at this point, I'm pretty much a Replica like Xion," Roxas began. "All I've ever done was watch other people attack while I followed orders, and I developed my own battle style. Unbeknownst to all of them, I adapted and saw their attacking techniques. I saw how they defend themselves, how they flee, and how they use magic. All in all, I copied down their abilities to my greatest extent so I could, one day, beat them if they ever crossed blades with me. Why do you think I beat Sai"X so easy twice?"

Anti-Sai"X gave Roxas a dark look, but he calmed down and continued to watch. "So, you could say I'm heartless. Which is true in some ways. But what I'm here for is revenge. And the first to receive it is the one who caused all of this," Roxas ended his monlouge with that, turning towards Sora.

"Roxas, no!" Axel shouted, still on the ground. Roxas just got the Oathkeeper Keyblade and stabbed Axel through the chest quickly and cold-blooded as well. Axel felt a jolt of pain, but then he laid there, staring up at Roxas.

"**** you," Roxas darkly retorted, turning back to Sora as he did so. Axel was clinging onto his existance, just barely, whenever Roxas got his Oblivion Keyblade and threw it directly at Sora's pod. The Keyblade stuck itself in the glass, inches away from Sora's head. The glass began to crack apart, and Namine and Riku stared on in shock.

"SORA!" Riku shouted, getting up and charging at Roxas. Before Riku could get close, a large earth pillar broke through the floor, effectively breaking Riku's jaw upon the impact. Blood going everywhere, Riku sprawled back and landed atop the unconscious Organization members, knocked out. Lexaeus stood up again, lifting his axe sword from the ground.

"There's your comeuppance, you old-man-haired brat," Lexaeus growled. The pod holding Sora then shattered; the liquid that kept Sora afloat burst out quickly and covered Axel. Sora fell over and laid limp on the ground like a rag doll. Axel, coughing up blood and...whatever the liquid was...turned towards Roxas.

"Rox...as..." Axel moaned. Roxas turned back, summoning the Oblivion Keyblade. "...please...I'm...sorry...if I could go back...I wouldn't...have attacked...her..."

Roxas stood there, not moving. "Then why attack her in the first place?" Roxas asked. Axel just laid there, arm sticking out towards Roxas.

"...I...wasn't right...to attack...her...please...help..." Axel pleaded. Roxas just tilted his head downwards.

"...no," Roxas answered. Roxas began walking away from Axel as Axel began fading away into nothingness. Before Axel vanished completely, all he did was shed a tear.

"_I'm sorry, Xion..." _Axel thought. That final thought alone left the Xion Reports he collected lying in his place on the ground where he vanished. Meanwhile, Roxas, now completely emotionless, friendless, but still holding purpose, came up to the comatose Sora. Sora was lying unconscious at Roxas's feet. Namine stared on, and she began to scribble down something on her notebook.

"_NO! Roxas, please stop!" _Namine cried in her head as she continued to scribble down something on her notebook. Roxas just got his Oblivion Keyblade ready, and he raised it back to strike Sora.

"Nighty-night, "Keyblade Master." Say hello to Axel for me," Roxas growled. Maleficent and the others all stared on.

"I should be feeling happy right now, but why aren't I?" Oogie mumbled.

"The boy is getting his comeuppance, but why isn't it satisfactory?" Maleficent mumbled. Roxas then began the journey of moving his hand downwards in a stabbing motion, until...

"AUUGH!" Roxas screamed, grabbing his head in pain. Roxas dropped his Keyblade next to Sora, not injuring him. "My...head...feels like its splitting in two...!"

Namine, continuing to draw, then fought back tears as she finished her drawing. "I'm so sorry," Namine mumbled, before closing her notebook. Immdiately, a flash of light ensued, and everyone in the room (minus Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, the knocked-out Organization members, the Anti-Forms and Riku-Replica, and the knocked-out Riku) was teleported away.

"What just happened?" Leon asked.

* * *

**Note: If you really hate filler or pointless flashbacks, just skip to the next divider line.**

The screen was filled with a bright light, until the light subsided to show Twilight Town's outside station. Roxas got up first, wondering how he got here. Turning around, Roxas saw Namine, Xemnas, the rebellious Organization members, and the Heartless group. Sora, still unconscious, was lying at Roxas's feet. All of them were adjusting to the new scenry as well. Roxas turned and looked to the horizon, but was shocked to see that the horizon was ebbing away, like someone was erasing it with an eraser. Roxas stepped back a bit, noticing that everything was slowly dissolving away; all except for the Station and the tower.

"What the hell...what is this!?" Roxas shouted.

"I think someone sent you into one of your memories," Marluxia noted.

"But which one is this...?" Zexion asked. This was answered whenever the sky above them began to break apart. Everyone stared on as they saw memory-Roxas fall from seemingly nowhere and land on the ground. Nearby to where the others were standing came a dark flash, and memory-Xion staggered out, falling to her knees. Memory-Roxas got up, groping his head in pain. The real Roxas stared growling, before the memory-Roxas began speaking.

"_Who are you...again? It's weird; I feel like I'm forgetting something important," _memory-Roxas stated, walking up to memory-Xion. Roxas slowly watched as his sanity began to return to him.

"_You'll be...better off now...Roxas..." _memory-Xion sighed, before falling over. Memory-Xion almost collapsed into the ground, but memory-Roxas grabbed memory-Xion before that could happen. Memory-Xion began fading away, with parts of her lightly seperating from her body in shards of light. The other Organization members stared at memory-Xion in disbelief, even Lexaeus; he usually was always stoic and never suprised. Namine was suprised herself; just staring at memory-Xion and memory-Roxas filled her with sadness. The Heartless group were mainly confused, above everything else.

"_Am I...the one who did this to you?"_ memory-Roxas wondered sadly. The real Roxas dropped both his Keyblades, with them both disappearing before clanking against the ground.

"_No...it was my choice...to go away now..." _memory-Xion said in a pained tone. "_Better that...than to do nothing...and let Xemnas have his way..."_

The almost-dead Xemnas shook a little at the mention of his own name from the Replica he so bitterly sent to death. "This...is the aftermath...of her struggle..." Xemnas quietly noted.

"_I belong with Sora..." _memory-Xion sighed, now smiling a bit. Roxas shook his head while looking down, eyes wide. Roxas stepped back as he realized Sora was still unconscious at his feet. Roxas's face contorted into one full of fear and realization.

"I'm sorry I brought you back into this painful memory, Roxas," Namine sighed. "But it was the only way to save Sora and Xion! Xion is a part of Sora now; killing him would kill her!"

Roxas gaped, then looked down at Sora. Roxas then looked back at memory-Xion, then Sora, then memory-Xion, and so on until he grasped his head in realization. "I was going to kill Xion..." Roxas dryly moaned.

"_Roxas...I need you...to do me a favor..." _memory-Xion asked, now struggling to stay alive. Roxas looked back up at memory-Xion, his right eye twitching. Vexen shook his head in disgust.

"Pitiful. No Nobody could have emotion. She lost the Keyblade in that struggle, so why does she still act as if she has a heart?" Vexen quietly contradicted.

"_All those hearts that I've captured..._(the scenery that was ebbing away now began to inch ever closer; already part of the tower was vanishing)_...Kingdom Hearts..." _memory-Xion pleaded. "_Set them free."_

Roxas dropped to his knees. "No! I...did I? But..." Roxas stuttered.

"_Kingdom Hearts...free them?" _memory-Roxas wondered. Zexion shook his head.

"Kingdom Hearts can't be freed. Once formed, it stays how it is forever," Zexion pointed out. Memory-Roxas then turned suprised, as he reached his arm out to memory-Xion's leg, which was now beginning to crystallize.

"_It is too late...for me to undo my mistakes..." _memory-Xion cried. "_But you can't...let Xemnas have Kingdom Hearts. You can't."_

Namine shed a tear for memory-Xion as this all happened. The Heartless group were still confused, but now they were sad as well.

"What be this?" Captain Hook wondered aloud. "Who is this wench?"

Roxas looked up angry. "SHE'S NOT A WENCH!" Roxas yelled. Larxene scoffed.

"Yeah, she's a Replica. Whatever. She's dead, and we can't change that," Larxene half-heartedly and sarcastically moaned. Roxas turned to her, angry, but sad and unable to move.

"SHUT UP, LARXENE!" Roxas cried.

"Whatever," Larxene scoffed.

"Don't get so emotional, Roxas," Marluxia ordered. "She's a puppet. And all puppets break at some point. She happened to break because of you."

"NO! ...she...she...!" Roxas cried, before one line broke him apart inside.

"_Good-bye, Roxas," _memory-Xion sighed. Roxas looked down at memory-Xion, as the crystallization process went up her body and was nearing her neck. "_See you again. I'm glad...I got to meet you...oh, and of course, Axel, too..."_

Roxas then remembered seeing Axel's sorry face as he laid there dying. "I abandoned him..." Roxas realized, eyes going wider than ever before. Roxas began to sway.

"_You're both my best friends..." _memory-Xion reminded Roxas. "_Never forget...that's the truth..."_

Roxas then fell over, landing on the ground, crying. The entire memory then began fading away like memory-Xion, and soon everyone fell into a dark abyss. All Roxas could hear before falling even further away from his memory was the single word: the single word that sent him on this hellhole of a journey in the first place.

Xion.

* * *

**Note: Okay, now that the flashback is over, this follows everyone else's P.O.V.**

"What just happened?" Leon asked. Riku-Replica, Anti-Sora, and Anti-Roxas all looked at the spot from where Roxas had just disappeared. Riku-Replica smirked.

"Whatever. Good-bye, Riku," Riku-Replica chuckled, about to cut Riku in half with his weapon of choice, the Soul Eater. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith turned to the three.

"Wait! You can't do that to Riku!" Yuffie yelled. Instantly, all three of them were knocked away like insects from Anti-Sai"X's attack. And whenever they hit the wall, each of them became knocked out. Anti-Sai"X then dismissed his dark claymore. Each of the three beings smiled at Anti-Sai"X in respect.

"That was a good job, Anti-Sai"X," Anti-Sora complimented. "You can handle those three in how you see fit."

Anti-Sai"X turned around and began to walk towards the three K.O.'d humans. Riku-Replica just began to throw Soul Eater down to strike Riku. Before he could, however, Riku rolled out of the way, and Riku-Replica's Soul Eater instead struck the back of Xaldin. Xaldin's back began leaking blood, but Riku-Replica was more concerned with Riku. Riku stumbled back up, a bit dazed.

"You faked being unconscious to save your own skin? Heh. I bet that's just as bad as what I'll do to you when I win," Riku-Replica threatened. Riku-Replica charged at Riku.

"I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Riku-Replica growled. Riku smiled, taking off his headband as he did so.

"Neither am I," Riku countered. Riku then began floating in midair. "HAAAAAAAAA!"

Before Riku-Replica could get closer, a dark energy field appeared, engulfing Riku instantly. Riku-Replica was blown back a bit, but he regained his balance and got ready to continue to battle. Out of the dark field was Riku's other form, the form with the silver hair as mentioned earlier. This new form of Riku also had a dark Heartless creature connected behind him. This Heartless creature certainly looked like a demon, with sharp claws, wrinkled skin, and dark tendrils.

"...I have accepted it," Riku darkly told off Riku-Replica, while the said Replica looked on in fear. Anti-Sora just turned to Anti-Roxas.

"My brother, would you kindly help Riku-Replica? I have some fakers here that need my dose of death," Anti-Sora growled. Anti-Roxas grinned, before running up to Riku-Replica's aid. Anti-Sora then turned back to the conglomerate of knocked-out Organization members, before a large blast of psi hit him away. Anti-Sora got up and turned to see Cxnik standing in the doorway, his eyes glowing beige.

"Let's continue where we left off at Hollow Bastion," Cxnik chuckled.

"You'll pay for that," Anti-Sora threatened, charging at Cxnik as he did so.

**That's how you start off the new year! With various cliffhangers! What happened to Roxas and everyone else? Will Riku defeat the combined forces of Anti-Roxas and Riku-Replica? And will Cxnik show his brass like he did last time in Hollow Bastion? Find out next time!**

**Also, I did check: Isa is Sai"X's offical name, I know. I posted that chapter before finding out about it myself. My bad.**


	14. Infinite Chaos

**What happened to Roxas and...the others? Who will win on those various fighting cliffhangers from last chapter? And what will happen next? Time for Roxas's dive into the hands of Sora's heart!**

**Oh...and one other thing: my grandfather died on the date of 1/12/2010, so I'm dedicating this chapter (and the corresponding SRC chapter) to him. See ya, Grandpa. Thanks for all those awesome Christmas parties...we'll all miss you.**

_Chapter Fourteen: Infinite Chaos_

Cxnik and Anti-Sora clashed claw-for-claw in a battle that seemed to go on for quite a long time. Cxnik's newfound abilities kept making most things go his way, but even then he still wasn't winning. Nor was Anti-Sora. Anti-Sora's brawn and power, along with his keen wit, were high, and Cxnik's abilities, along with his stamina, evened the fight quite easy. Anti-Sora barely broke through Cxnik's defenses, but when he did Cxnik got one crap-load of a beating. Of course, Cxnik would be able to push back Anti-Sora quickly, making it a battle that seemed to go on forever. The deciding factor of who would win would be how much total HP they had and how many times Cxnik could use Cure spells before he ran out. Anti-Sora jumped into the air, charging a large dark energy ball that shot minature energy balls that slammed Cxnik with as much force as a baseball being thrown at him from a power cannon. Anti-Sora jumped down and tried to slash at Cxnik, before Cxnik threw Anti-Sora back into another wall. Anti-Sora got up and charged again at Cxnik, but this time the battle view switched over to Anti-Roxas and the Riku-Replica fighting against Riku-Ansem and his shadowy Heartless guardian. Riku-Replica fired a dark fireball at Riku-Ansem, but Riku-Ansem easily deflected it into Riku-Replica's face. Riku-Replica was flown backwards, and Anti-Roxas took charge, jumping into the air and throwing many dark tendril beams at Riku-Ansem. Riku-Ansem was injured by this onslaught of beams, but his Heartless guardian slashed at Anti-Roxas, effectively cutting off the beam barrage and throwing Anti-Roxas into Sora's unused pod. The force from this was so great the pod instantly shattered, with the metallic skeleton of the pod collapsing and falling onto Anti-Roxas, crushing him badly. Anti-Sora (having been thrown into ANOTHER wall from Cxnik) saw this and got even more enraged.

"My brother!" Anti-Sora growled. Anti-Sora then charged directly at Riku-Ansem, in a homing fashion that made Anti-Sora look like a cobra about to strike. Anti-Sora jumped into the air and mercilessly slashed at Riku-Ansem and his Heartless guardian, knocking them back and dealing a good damage amount. Anti-Sora landed right next to the Riku-Replica, who was getting up. Both of them turned and saw Anti-Roxas trying to break free from the wreckage, but he wasn't doing so well. Cxnik charged towards the distracted Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica, effectively sending them both into the air and smashing them against the ceiling, which caused the ceiling to crack. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica landed behind Cxnik, but Riku-Replica managed to kick Cxnik in the back. Cxnik flopped over and landed on his face. Getting up, Cxnik saw Riku-Ansem, still dazed from Anti-Sora's assault.

"I assume we should team up for the time being?" Cxnik sarcastically asked, already knowing the answer. Riku-Ansem looked down at Cxnik, before returning eye contact to Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica, who were just getting up. Cxnik jumped back up and stood side-by-side against Riku-Ansem.

"Teaming up wouldn't be half-bad," Riku-Ansem mutually agreed, before they all charged at one another, ready to end their brawl. Anti-Sai"X watched from afar, interesting in seeing what happens; as for Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith, the three were still unconscious from Anti-Sai"X's claymore strike last chapter.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Hollow Bastion, DiZ was merely standing in front of the gateway to Kingdom Hearts, waiting. While he was waiting, he felt an enormous energy presence.

"Well, it seems we do have company," DiZ growled, still standing impassively while staring at Kingdom Hearts's entrance. For each second that passed, he felt the energy presence get larger and larger, almost to a crushing extent, until he saw Roxas, Xemnas, the unconscious Sora, the traitorus Organization members, the evil Heartless group, and Namine fall out from Kingdom Hearts's entrance. Roxas tumbled forward and landed right next to DiZ's feet. DiZ looked down, scowling.

"Well, if it isn't the Keyblade Master's Nobody," DiZ harshly greeted. Roxas got up and saw DiZ, suprised.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked, confused. Behind him, Xemnas's weak laughter started up, making everyone turn to him.

"...well...if it isn't...my old master..." Xemnas greeted, trying to laugh but could barely manage to. DiZ walked past Roxas and up to the defeated Xemnas.

"Oh, how the mighty hath fallen," DiZ growled.

"I...could say the same..." Xemnas retorted.

"Pitiful. I saved you from death, and all I got was betrayal. You really are worthless," DiZ sighed. "But no matter anymore."

"Ansem? Is that you?" Vexen asked sarcastically. DiZ turned to him in disgust.

"Even...Aeleus...Ienzo..." DiZ acknowledged, looking at each of his three former apprentices. "Where have you gone wrong?"

"Maybe our experiments proved to be...unorthodox, but to no matter now! Our hearts shall be ours again!" Vexen deducted.

"Clever...but I assume you've never figured out Xemnas's agenda?" DiZ asked rhetorically. This was answered with a suprised look from Vexen, an intriqued look from Zexion, and a stoic look from Lexaeus.

"Oh, come now, Even. You were the smartest of the six. I figured you'd find out," DiZ sighed. "Then again, why should I enlighten you? I have nothing to give to you."

"Silence, old man!" Vexen growled.

"Said the pale-faced basement-lab reject scientist," DiZ retorted. Vexen stepped back, shocked, before summoning forth his ice shield.

"Why you-!?" Vexen growled. Roxas got up, dazed.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked, confused. DiZ just stared at Roxas in disgust.

"The one who sent Riku after you," DiZ growled, before stepping towards Roxas. Roxas summoned both his Keyblades and stood back, ready to fight. "I do not understand you fully, Roxas. You fight as if you have nothing left to lose. Why is that? Your death would be beneficial to us all."

"NO IT WOULDN'T!" Namine screamed, getting in between DiZ and Roxas. "All you want is Sora! Well, he's right here!"

DiZ just looked in disgust at Namine. "You really are a sad excuse for a Nobody," DiZ sighed. Roxas then pointed both his Keyblades at DiZ.

"What did you say to her!?" Roxas shouted. Marluxia and Larxene began to chuckle.

"I guess this is getting way too interesting. I mean, who would've thought the witch could get feelings, even if they are fake?" Larxene chuckled. Roxas turned to her, malicious.

"SHUT UP, LARXENE! SHE'S NOT A WITCH! SHE'S NAMINE!" Roxas screamed, the scream echoing throughout the empty halls of the old castle. DiZ just shook his head.

"Prepostorus. You both are fools," DiZ began. Roxas was about to scream again, but Marluxia got in front.

"Now, hold on, Mr. DiZ," Marluxia sarcastically began. "I don't think I appreciate your attitude."

"Silence, Nobody," DiZ ordered. Larxene just summoned her kunais.

"I don't think so," Larxene laughed. Larxene and the others began charging towards DiZ to kill him, whenever Roxas then grasped his head.

"_Who else will I have ice cream with?" _Roxas's inner mind kept saying. The meaning of loneliness and despair assossiated with that kept bashing itself in Roxas's skull, until...

"STOP IT!" Roxas screamed. Whenever he did, Roxas's memories took shape, and a large black shadow appeared, swallowing up the throngs of people there immdiately, save for the Heartless group. Maleficent and her gang sat there, intriqued.

"Maleficent...what just happened?" Hades asked, annoyed.

"I don't know myself, but I have an idea..." Maleficent grinned. "The boy Roxas probably teleported everyone to the dark world they live in. Let us use Kingdom Hearts's power to give us strength, and let it take us to the destination we need to enter! O Kingdom Hearts! Give us passage to power and darkness!"

The artifical door behind the Heartless group began to glow proficently, before engulfing the Heartless group in a swathe of dark light.

* * *

The screen changed again to show The World That Never Was. The camera went past a large skyscraper in the middle of the city, before weaving through some alleyways and ending up in a dark dead-end alley. In the dead-end alley, the dazed body of Roxas lied there, unmoving. Roxas slowly got up, still in a trance. Sora was lying next to Roxas, still unconscious. Roxas picked up Sora and flung Sora's right arm around Roxas's shoulder, so he could drag him to wherever his next destination was easier; he couldn't just leave Sora--and in extension Xion--here to perish at the hands of any Heartless or Nobody.

"Where...where am I now?" Roxas asked to no one in particular; Roxas was glad to hear his own voice was still working. Roxas took a short walk so he could see where he was, and he gasped when he found out. Roxas stared up at the black sky, and saw within the inky sky and thundry clouds was the Organization's floating castle, along with Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts was still untouched and floating within the skies lazily, just waiting to be accessed...or freed, in Roxas's case. Roxas looked down at the ground sadly, before ruffling into his pocket and pulling out a purple seashell that was yellow at the thinner end. Roxas stared at the seashell in his hand, transfixed by its allure. A single raindrop got Roxas out of his trance. Looking up, Roxas saw the heavy black clouds were beginning to release their payload of water. Roxas put the seashell back in his pocket, before flipping up his dark hood.

"No distractions. Kingdom Hearts. No Organization. No Anti-Forms. No Heartless. Just Kingdom Hearts," Roxas went over in his mind. "For Xion..."

Roxas began to slowly walk forward, while the rain began to pick up, becoming a rhythm beat to Roxas's ears as its constant splatter against the ground began.

* * *

Not too far from Roxas's location, Xemnas, still mortally injured, laid on the ground. Xemnas was lying in front of a large skyscraper, which was made out of black steel and glassy, tinted windows. Xemnas didn't know how large the skyscraper was, nor what it held. Looking at the black sky, he could see parts of him beginning to fade finally away, as he noticed what seemed to be a black mist appearing around his body.

"_So I've reached my end...lucky Number 13. How ironic," _Xemnas thought, as he lied on the ground. The pounding rain began to slam into his face, almost as if the heavens themselves were trying to metaphorically annihlate Xemnas by sending torrents of raindrops down upon him. Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion walked over to Xemnas, staring down at their defeated leader.

"If it means any consolation, you put up an impressive fight," Zexion offered.

"Do...not...try to...butter me up...Number VI," Xemnas warned.

"It does not matter now," Lexaeus stoically grunted. "What I want to know is this: if we needed one heart to obtain Kingdom Hearts, why collect various hearts when we could just abduct one heart as our own, even if it wasn't originally?"

"Number V brings up an excellent point, Superior," Vexen agreed.

"...like...I'd...tell you..." Xemnas grunted. Marluxia just laughed as Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion turned around to see Marluxia and Larxene walk up, chuckling.

"Well, well, well, how the mighty hath fallen," Marluxia quoted.

"Doesn't look like some Superiors are so strong after all," Larxene mocked. Xemnas just laid there, as he noted the disappearance of his left leg and the beginning disentegration of his right arm and leg.

"...how...dare...you..." Xemnas managed to make out.

"How dare I? How dare I!?" Larxene screamed, red in the face. "You admitted me into this Organization, and never even listened to me whenever I tried to tell you about good old Xaldin and his creepy...UGH! I can't stand that jerk!"

Larxene huffed and stomped a foot on the ground. Marluxia stepped back, shocked himself. "Woah. Didn't know that," Marluxia admitted.

"But at this point, I don't care! The Anti-forms will kill them and Riku off, leaving us to rule!" Larxene shouted in glee. Namine could only watch in fear--or at least a Nobodies' interpretation of it--as she hid behind one of the minature spires at the base of the large skyscraper. Namine tried to slowly back away and flee, but a kunai soared right by her tiny head and inserted itself into the wall of the skyscraper, barely missing Namine's head yet still managing to shred a bit of her hair.

"Oh, you're not getting away THAT easy," Larxene joked, now ignoring the fading Xemnas and walking up to her. Namine tried to run, but Marluxia also appeared beside her.

"Remember Castle Oblivion," Marluxia reminded. "How you ran because of Axel and his traitorous ways. Well, Axel isn't here anymore. Now don't flee and we won't hurt you."

Namine, still a bit shocked, stepped back into the figure of Larxene, which suprised her since she hadn't expected her to scale the steps to the skyscraper's base so quickly. Namine stood there, helpless, as she was between two of her worst enemies out of the Organization. Vexen just shook his head disapprovingly.

"What good would it do at this point to have Namine around? She's useless to us now," Vexen reminded Marluxia and Larxene. Zexion gave a swift flip of his hair.

"Vexen brings up a good point," Zexion agreed. "Why should we keep her around?"

"Because her power over memory can help us create more Nobodies for our control. From where Xemnas failed, we shall arise," Marluxia deviously planned. Xemnas, almost fully faded away, managed to turn his head towards Marluxia.

"How...do you...think you...could win? There...are...more Key...blade Mas...ters out there..." Xemnas explained.

"Do you happen to mean the King?" Marluxia rhetorically asked. "I'll be able to take him down easy. Don't you go worrying over me, Xemnas."

Marluxia's biting and sarcastic words were the last thing Xemnas heard, as after Marluxia finished this sentence, Xemnas completely faded away into oblivion. Marluxia stared at this, until he burst out laughing.

"FINALLY! THAT GREY-HAIRED NOBODY IS GONE!" Marluxia laughed, before raising his arms to the sky as if he was preaching. "GUESS WHO I AM!? 'O Kingdom Hearts, lend us your power over souls, light, darkness, blah blah blah, Heartless and Nobodies, blah blah blah, the Keyblade, blah blah blah blah BLAH!' HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Larxene was laughing evilly with Marluxia, both of them feeling overjoyed--or the Nobodies' interpretation of it--at Xemnas's downfall. Zexion and Vexen backed away, officially creeped out by this change of demeanor; even Lexaeus was astounded and freaked out.

"Now...let us change this world...EVERY world...for our well being! ALL HAIL THE NOBODIES!" Marluxia shouted, laughing evilly.

* * *

Back at Sora's old pod room, Cxnik was thrown back into the group of defeated Organization members. Each of the Organization members were stirring, close to waking up soon. Riku-Ansem tried to slice at Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica, but not even he could pierce their excellent defense and counter strategy. Riku-Replica would easily block Riku-Ansem's attacks, then Anti-Sora would take the split second opportunity to slice up Riku-Ansem with his dark claws. No matter which direction they attacked from, the results was the same; nothing could help them win. Anti-Sora grinned evilly as Anti-Sai"X stared carelessly.

"Come on, Riku," Anti-Sora taunted. "I thought YOU were stronger than that."

Riku-Ansem gasped a bit at this memory of him saying that to Sora. Riku-Ansem backed up a bit, before firing a large dark fireball at Riku-Replica and Anti-Sora. Grinning, Anti-Sora jumped over the fireball and slashed at Riku-Ansem, sending him back. Cxnik got up and tried to use his powers to blast Riku-Replica and Anti-Sora back, but to no avail, as Riku-Replica hit Cxnik into a wall with a dark fireball.

"This is honestly sad," Riku-Replica laughed, before being hit in the face with an electric blast. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica turned to see Exsan getting up, as well as Xigbar, Demyx, Luxord, and the other newbie Organization members. Cxnik felt relieved at this; finally the tides have turned.

"Finally...what did we miss?" Demyx asked, obviously stunned. Luxord got his cards ready and stared at the injured Anti-Roxas.

"I guess the time has come for one of them," Luxord chuckled, before snapping his fingers. Anti-Roxas was immdiately enveloped in cards, and Anti-Sora appeared shocked. Before long, Anti-Roxas was turned into a mere card, and Luxord held that card.

"Goodbye to another nusiance who lost the game of life...or rather, half-life," Luxord deducted. Anti-Sora's eyes dilated, until he charged headfirst at Luxord.

"I'LL RIP YOU APART!" Anti-Sora growled, grabbed Luxord's head. Before long, the entity of Luxord was shot at with a large dark blast, throwing him into a wall. Dazed but not down, Luxord got his cards ready for combat.

"Well, you play the game quite well..." Luxord chuckled. Phosnext slammed his weapon into the ground, sending a large earth blast upwards and hit Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica with them. Demyx began strumming on his guitar, making many water clones appear and start attacking Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica. Anti-Sai"X saw this and summoned his black claymore, ready to attack, whenever he was shot backwards by Xigbar.

"You know, you really shouldn't have betrayed us," Xigbar noted, chuckling sarcastically. Anti-Sai"X ran as fast as he could towards Xigbar, before Xigbar used his power over space to warp out of the way. Anti-Sai"X looked around for Xigbar, before turning around and meeting the barrel of Xigbar's arrowguns right in his face.

"X marks the spot," Xigbar joked, before shooting Anti-Sai"X point-blank. Anti-Sai"X fell over onto the floor, an energy arrow embedded in his face. Xigbar just began a rainstorm of energy arrows down upon Anti-Sai"X, grinning.

"I guess this is what happens when you let anger take control of you. Sad," Xigbar noted, as he continued his assault. Pretty soon, Xigbar ran out of arrows.

"R...for Reload!" Xigbar announced in his trademark quote. Anti-Sai"X, against his body's pain, tried to swing his claymore upwards, but Xigbar teleported out of the way. Anti-Sai"X's luck was completely against him, as his claymore's swinging arc was off-balanced; this means that when Anti-Sai"X missed his target, the claymore fell back and hit Anti-Sai"X himself. Anti-Sai"X fell over, defeated. Xigbar reappeared in front of Anti-Sai"X, grinned and pointing one of his arrowguns at him.

"Say hey to Axel for me," Xigbar laughed, before firing his arrowguns. Anti-Sai"X was struck dead instantly, fading away into a black abyss of nothingness quickly. Xigbar just pointed his two arrowguns at Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica, who were getting horribly injured by Luxord's diamond-edged cards, Demyx's dancing water clones, Riku-Ansem's dark fireballs, and generally everything else. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica turned and surveyed the current situation: two against many strong opponents. Not good.

"We have to get out of here..." Riku-Replica whispered.

"Yes, I guess we can attempt to..." Anti-Sora sighed. He hated fleeing and being defeated, but he had to go now. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica both summoned a dark portal and attempted to flee.

"Oh no you don't!" Riku-Ansem screamed, charging at the two enemies. Riku-Ansem and the Organization all ended up followed Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica into the portal leading to their destination. As soon as everyone left, the only people remaining were Yuffie, Aerith, and Leon, who were still unconscious after their attack from Anti-Sai"X.

* * *

Back at the dark skyscraper, Marluxia had just finished his evil laughing rant, and he turned to Namine. Holding Namine's head up to his by her chin, he grinned evilly.

"Now my dear Namine, begin using your powers to destroy Sora's memories, like I had ordered you to in Castle Oblivion," Marluxia demanded. Namine had tears in her eyes; she couldn't refuse Marluxia. Not because she was unable to, but because if she did she would most surely pay a price she wouldn't dare imagine of. Namine got out her notebook and shakily grabbed her drawing pencil.

"Yes...destroy his memories..." Marluxia urged with a poisonous tone. Larxene grinned evilly as well.

"Go on, Namine. It's simple as reciting the aplhabet...you can do it," Larxene chuckled. Namine turned her head between Marluxia and Larxene, feeling smothered by their evil intentions. Marluxia saw her hesitation, and he summoned his scythe immdiately. Pointing his scythe in front of Namine (And also making sure one of the points was at the side of her neck), Marluxia continued speaking in a tone just as cold as the rain.

"Come on, Namine...rain can't ruin your notebook. Your notebook doesn't work like regular paper...write down our demands...make our dreams reality...erase his memories permanently..." Marluxia demanded in a sinister tone.

"_Good Lord, he's become a freaking psychopath!" _Zexion thought. Looking at the expressions on Vexen and Lexaeus's faces, he could tell he wasn't the only one thinking the same thing. Before Namine could write anything down, a large black portal opened in the lot in front of the skyscraper. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica ran out. Everyone was suprised and shocked to see them. Before any questions could be asked, the rest of Organization XIII jumped out, including Riku-Ansem. Zexion saw Riku-Ansem and smirked.

"Well, it looks like someone's turned to the darkness," Zexion chuckled. Marluxia snapped his fingers and several dark thorn plants latched themselves around Namine's ankles. Namine gasped in pain as she noticed the thorns, which dug into her skin and made her ankles bleed a bit.

"Don't go anywhere," Marluxia sarcastically chuckled. Marluxia and Larxene jumped down alongside Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen. Marluxia snapped his fingers and summoned his large Reaper Nobody. Jumping atop the Reaper, Marluxia brandished his scythe and laughed maniacally. Anti-Sora and Riku-Replica got beside their allies.

"Now I beleive the odds are evened," Riku-Replica chuckled.

"What happened to Anti-Sai"X?" Vexen asked, although he truly couldn't have cared less. Anti-Sora just lowered his head.

"Anti-Roxas?" Zexion wondered. Riku-Replica just pointed to Luxord.

"Luxord, you better free Anti-Roxas from his card prison now. I'll make your demise less painful that way," Riku-Replica warned. Luxord just laughed.

"The chips are against you this time," Luxord retorted. This made everyone on the original Organization's side to get ready to fight.

"The chips are against you all! Fools!" a voice reverbrated throughout the area. Everyone turned over to the side of the area and saw Oogie Boogie fall out of a dark portal created by Maleficent. Maleficent and her Heartless group all also appeared from the dark portal.

"You again?" Xaldin noted, getting his lances ready. He winced a bit at his wound from before, but he ignored it. Maleficent laughed.

"Xemnas is gone, and you all are useless in this war! Kingdom Hearts will be ours, and the Heartless shall rule over all!" Maleficent announced, seeming to move her arms in a way to preach to the sky. "And for that to happen, you all must disappear!"

The camera changed views from the Heartless group to Riku-Ansem and the loyal Organization. "Well, we'll see now! You're finished now, Maleficent!" Riku-Ansem shouted. The camera finally switched to Marluxia and the others.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU WILL NEVER STOP US!" Marluxia screamed, getting his Reaper ready for battle. Everyone charged at each other, in the final three-way battle that would decide the fate of Kingdom Hearts forever.

* * *

At the top of the black skyscraper stood DiZ, watching the entire feat. Behind him was the King, still clad in his Organization coat.

"DiZ. This isn't right anymore," the King mentioned. "I don't think your plan is even orthodox anymore."

"I respect your opinion, but this is my plan," DiZ growled, walking past the King.

"What are you planning to do now?" the King asked.

"The only logical thing to do: destroy Kingdom Hearts," DiZ revealed. The King just shuddered and dropped his jaw.

"What!? That's impossible! It's improbable!" the King shouted. DiZ just turned his head back.

"I don't care. The Organization will not get their hearts back. They do not deserve it," DiZ growled. "No one. Not even Roxas."

"You've seen what he's been through! How could you say he should be denied a heart if he wasn't meant to be born without one in the first place!?" the King shouted.

"Because all Nobodies deserve to perish. It's their fate," DiZ growled.

"What about people with hearts? We perish sometime too!" the King mentioned.

"Yes, but at least we have purpose," DiZ growled.

"Don't Nobodies have a purpose?" the King retorted.

"How could something that doesn't exist have purpose?" DiZ mentioned.

"If everyone beleived that, then Ventus would be nothing, wouldn't he?" a female voice asked. DiZ and the King lifted their heads.

"Who...?" the King asked. This was answered by a female approaching the both of them. This girl was tall and probably in her late twenties. She had sea blue hair, and was wearing a black shirt with white pants, two white glove-like additions on her hands, and a purple crossed-strap on her chest that was adorned by a sternling silver jewelery adornment. She looked at both DiZ and Mickey with her stern, blue eyes.

"...Aqua..." DiZ acknowledged, staring at the woman with eyes of annoyance, over all other emotions.

**This one took me a LONG time to make. Now a three-way fight, with the mysterious Aqua appearing! What shall happen next? REVIEW**.


	15. Pieces In Place

**And now the next chapter of my most famous story is up! Also, this chapter contains some Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep spoilers. Don't blame me; blame YouTube for having the secret movie subbed already up. And then blame the people that posted it. And then blame me. By reviewing.**

**OH YEA AND BY THE WAY there's a lot of fighting that is so confusing you may not understand what's going on. Enjoy.**

_Chapter Fifteen: Pieces In Place_

Roxas was carrying the unconscious Sora throughout the rainy and empty city streets of The Dark City. In the distance, Roxas could see explosions, many different types of energy beams and blasts, and flying debris. Roxas could only grimace at what was going on at the Memory's Skyscraper at this point. Even though he had no idea what was going on, Roxas continued to edge ever closer to the battlefield with the unconscious Sora being dragged along beside him.

* * *

"Aqua, what are you doing here?" the King asked. "Didn't you sink into the Realm of Darkness when you tried to save Terra?"

"Aqua...explain yourself now," DiZ ordered. Aqua just kept her serious and unfazed look, despite the sharp cold of the needle-like rain.

"I'll tell you why I'm here. I fell into the realm of darkness while saving Terra, and I ended up in the dark realm with my own heart," Aqua began. "Pretty soon, I ended up here while roaming around. And from the looks of everything, there's some things going on that I have no control over."

"Exactly. Now let me pass," DiZ growled. Aqua just summoned her Keyblade and put it in DiZ's path, blocking him from continuing.

"I'm not done yet," Aqua growled. DiZ stepped back, annoyed.

"Continue, then," DiZ granted.

"As I was saying, I have no control over certain events that may transpire soon. However, I do have control over one thing: the survival of Roxas. I've been keeping a tab on him, as I thought he was Ventus for a while," Aqua revealed.

"I agree with you. He does look a lot like him," the King agreed.

"Whenever I found out the truth, though, I was devastated. But then I remembered that my friends and I would be connected again one day. We promised that," Aqua continued. "But as for Kingdom Hearts here, I think you should just wait for a bit DiZ."

"Why should I wait?" DiZ growled.

"Because maybe yours and Roxas's goals aren't completely different," Aqua explained. "After all, you both want Kingdom Hearts out of the Organization's reach."

"SILENCE!" DiZ screamed. "My plans are not the same as a mere Nobody's plans! He has no right to have even HELPED to manifest Kingdom Heart's majestic presence!"

"But if Roxas never tried, you never would've been given the opportunity to destroy Kingdom Hearts," Aqua retorted. This shut DiZ up temporarily, before he snarled back.

"INSOLENT! Kingdom Hearts is still, nonetheless, an entity not worthy of a Nobody's control!" DiZ shouted.

"Is it worth a person with a heart's control, then? After all, you do see Maleficent and her dark gang fighting for Kingdom Hearts's eternal power right now," Aqua reminded DiZ.

"But they're beings steeped in darkness! All they want is power! My vengance is completely just!" DiZ retorted.

"Weren't you sunk into the dark realm for what seemed to be an eternity?" Aqua retorted. This shut DiZ up permanently. "When Xehanort betrayed you, you were sent into the dark realm against your wishes. And you wanted revenge when you got out. Let's compare this to the dark beings from before; they want revenge against us for stopping them before, and they want revenge by controlling Kingdom Hearts and the Heartless."

DiZ stood there, speechless. "Perhaps your plan isn't so different after all," the King growled. DiZ stared darkly at both Aqua and the King, before smirking.

"Whatever. You know about your role in this entire thing. You created Castle Oblivion, and in extension, Xion," DiZ growled. "So who says you aren't responsible for causing the events leading up to this?"

"Would that have changed your revenge plan, DiZ? Pathetic," Aqua sighed. However, a large explosion behind them snapped the three of them out of their argument. Looking behind them, the three of them saw Marluxia on his Reaper slicing both Xaldin and Demyx away. Larxene, laughing malignantly, was throwing kunais at Luxord and Xigbar. Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen were causing many problems for the so-called loyal Organization members, although they focused all three of their blasts at Riku-Ansem. Riku-Replica, alongside Zexion, began firing several dark fireball blasts at Riku-Ansem, who countered with his own. Of course, soon Maleficent turned back into her dragon form, slashed at Marluxia's Reaper, and began breathing a green flame down upon Riku-Ansem, Zexion, and the Riku-Replica. All three of them jumped back to avoid the flames, but Zexion was hit with some of Luxord's cards. Oogie Boogie charged into the fray and hit Luxord down with some of his exploding dice, before Larxene hit Oogie with some electrical blasts. After that, Larxene was blown back (suprisingly) by Captain Hook, but soon Captain Hook was smacked down by Lexaeus. While Lexaeus lifted up his axe sword, he was blown back a bit by Hades and his fireballs, but Demyx and his water powers doused Hades by blowing him into a wall. Larxene threw more electric kunais and hit Demyx, shocking him into submission. Demyx got back up and tried to summon some water clones, but Anti-Sora jumped off of Marluxia's Reaper after dealing some damage to Marluxia himself. Heading straight for Demyx, Anti-Sora got his claws ready for assault...that is, until Xaldin summoned his wind lance dragon and fired a wind blast that blew Anti-Sora into Larxene and made both of them crash into Lexaeus and Captain Hook. Hades got back and began firing several fireballs in all directions, and Marluxia's Reaper took a majority of the hits. Marluxia, now hot-headed (quite literally), began firing several energy swathes from the three scythes he had; one is his hands, and two on each side of the large Reaper Nobody. These energy swathes managed to hit the dragon Maleficent and were powerful enough to flip her directly over onto several buildings in the Dark City. A large vibration shook the entire city whenever the dragon Maleficent hit the ground, so much that the King nearly fell off the dark skyscraper. Taking advantage of the downed Maleficent, Marluxia made his Reaper Nobody fly directly over her and begin slicing her up. What Marluxia didn't see was Anti-Sora running up the back of the Reaper Nobody like a small bug. Anti-Sora jumped directly over Marluxia and fired a dark energy blast down at Maleficent to help out his ally. Marluxia and Anti-Sora grinned whenever the blast connected, making Maleficent shrink back down to her normal, witch-like size. Xaldin and Xigbar both jumped up behind Marluxia and Anti-Sora; in one swift motion, Xaldin's lance dragon blew Marluxia off his own Reaper Nobody, and Anti-Sora was shot off the Reaper Nobody by Xigbar's sniper arrowrifle. Anti-Sora and Marluxia crashed into the ground; the Reaper Nobody, now with no one controlling it, began malfunctioning and began slicing in all directions. Soon enough, the Reaper Nobody was blasted at by Hades's fire ball attack, with several blasts by Xaldin and Xigbar to finish off the atrocity. The Reaper Nobody began disentegrating, before disappearing completely. Zexion and the Riku-Replica began firing at Xaldin and Xigbar, before Luxord snapped his fingers and encased the two in a wall of cards. This wall of cards was disrupted by a couple stabs and slashes from Larxene, and Luxord then dealt with Ursula as she shot dark waterballs at him. Demyx began strumming his guitar, and he threw Lexaeus into Ursula using his water power. Vexen stabbed his shield into the ground, and a large icicle blasted upwards from the ground and shanked Demyx and a falling Xaldin. Lexaeus smacked Ursula away into Oogie Boogie and Hades, before slamming his axe sword into the ground and sending several earth columns into the air, hitting Luxord and Xigbar easily. Xaldin remounted himself atop his lance dragon, and fired several wind blasts at Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion. Zexion used his lexicon to trap the wind blasts in ethereal sub-spaces inside the lexicon itself, before shooting them back out at Xaldin. Vexen threw some icicle shards into the wind gusts to add a chillingly sharp effect. Xaldin was shot off his lance dragon, but he regained composure...only to be hit in the face with a dark fireball from the Riku-Replica. Riku-Replica then ducked, missing another sniper shot from Xigbar. Xigbar, from the safety of the rooftops that were intact, began to snipe several of his enemies using his sniper arrowrifle. Oogie Boogie was first to be shot down, followed by Captain Hook and Ursula. Before he could take anyone else out, Zexion appeared right behind Xigbar and smacked him off the the building with his lexicon. Chuckling because of his "book-slap," Zexion began to fire fireballs, ice grenades, and lightning bolts out of his lexicon to hit Xigbar and Xaldin again. Demyx and Luxord jumped back into the fray, combining their powers to throw a liquidated card flurry at Zexion. Vexen jumped in front of Zexion and put up his ice shield, freezing the watery cards and shattering them easy. Lexaeus slammed his axe sword into the ground again, blasting Xigbar, Xaldin, Luxord, and Demyx into the sky. While Lexaeus smirked, Riku-Ansem slammed into Lexaeus's back and began slicing at him effortlessly. Lexaeus fell to the ground, before Zexion and Vexen came down and fired several magic shots at Riku-Ansem. Riku-Ansem put up a dark shield and reflected the shots back, before getting knocked over by a vicious Larxene.

* * *

Roxas stared silently at the carnage from the corner of the street. No one had noticed him, and he hadn't planned to have anyone notice him now. Turning away from the carnage, Roxas walked away from the fight, deciding to take the longer way around, until a voice stopped him.

"Roxas..." Cxnik's voice echoed. Before Roxas could do anything, Cxnik appeared in front of him, along with Elinx, Exsan, Sin Juxt, Phosnext, Stexven, and Alexx. Roxas just remained impassive.

"What do you want?" Roxas asked.

"An answer to one thing: who are you really?" Cxnik asked.

"...clarify," Roxas demanded, holding the comatose Sora as he had been doing before.

"We know you're the Keyblade Master's Nobody, but why did you defect in the first place? And what the heck is Xion?" Cxnik asked.

"...did you hear what I said back at that Heartless Castle?" Roxas rhetorically asked. "If so, then I beleive your questions are already answered."

Cxnik just turned to his Replica companions. All of them looked at Cxnik and nodded. Cxnik turned back to Roxas and the comatose Sora.

"Your plan is to set Kingdom Hearts free because you were tricked unfairly into gathering it at the cost of your friends?" Cxnik asked, although in his being he already knew the answer. Roxas just nodded.

"...fine then..." Phosnext started. "You may need enough power to get through...after all the Castle That Never Was has been heavily fortified after your last excursion into the belly of the beast."

"What are you suggesting?" Roxas asked, wondering really what they were thinking. All of the Replicas just put their hands atop one another.

"We don't like being tricked," Alexx growled.

"And we don't like being used," Exsan added.

"Go and free Kingdom Hearts," Sin Juxt commanded.

"And let us help you by returning your power," Elinx ended. Before Roxas could say anything, each of the Replicas began glowing, before they all faded away into nothing. Their essences flew into the air, before going down to Roxas like he was some sort of magnet. Roxas absorbed each and every piece of the Replicas, until each last one was gone completely. Roxas stood there, feeling empowered with even more strength he'd never expect; it was like he was at maximum power (aka the Heartless Castle Massacre Roxas) yet he was completely sane. Roxas looked at the comatose Sora, until he saw a flash of Xion where Sora was. Roxas shut his eyes, and began taking the long away around.

"_I guess Replicas are different than Nobodies, even if they are part of the Organzation...thank you," _Roxas silently thought as he carried the comatose Sora around some empty back alleys.

* * *

Riku-Ansem fell over from Larxene's tackle, before kicking her back. They both were hit by Xaldin, before the three of them began fighting off-screen. Going over to where Marluxia, Maleficent, and Anti-Sora were, Anti-Sora got up slowly and angrily. He saw Luxord, still holding Anti-Roxas in his card prison, fighting against Jafar (I think this is his only appearance...). Anti-Sora shot two dark tendrils that knocked out Jafar quickly and grabbed Luxord. Anti-Sora pulled Luxord to him, and silently squeezed his arms so he dropped his cards. Anti-Sora grabbed the card trapping his brother, and he quickly ripped it in half. Immdiately, Anti-Roxas took form in front of Anti-Sora. Anti-Sora looked up at Luxord, who was struggling to escape.

"You trap my brother and fight against me...now you die," Anti-Sora growled. Instantly, Anti-Sora closed the tendrils as sharply as he could, slicing through Luxord's being instantly. Luxord faded away into nothingness, not even able to say a word. Anti-Roxas got up, grinning.

"Thank you, brother. Now what shall we do?" Anti-Roxas asked. Anti-Sora just grinned himself.

"Everyone's fighting like idiots. Most of them are either dead or gone. And we know what Roxas plans to do...it's time," Anti-Sora announced.

"Finally," Anti-Roxas chuckled.

* * *

DiZ, the King, and Aqua stared down at the carnage in disgust, although DiZ's disgust was for mainly Aqua's little speech earlier. DiZ turned around and began walking to the other side of the skyscraper. Aqua turned to him.

"What are you planning to do now?" Aqua asked, although she was being sarcastic while saying it. DiZ looked down and saw Roxas carrying the comatose Sora, getting close to a connective alleyway that would lead Roxas to the light pathway that served as the front door for the Castle That Never Was.

"It's time we got to Kingdom Hearts now. Roxas is already heading there, and I doubt he's going to stop for anything," DiZ grunted. DiZ opened a dark portal, giving him safe passage to the pathway below. "Coming?"

The King and Aqua looked at each other, before following DiZ into the dark portal, despite them not wanting to anyway.

* * *

Everything in the plaza at the base of the dark skyscraper was a conglomerating mass of dark chaos. The fight had attracted several Neoshadow Nobodies, and the Organization members, be them good or rebellious, had summoned many Nobodies to aid them. Everyone was fighting at this point; it was impossible to tell who was on whom's side. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas were the only two not fighting, but merely hiding within the rubble, moving silently and stealthily so nothing could find them. Soon, the two Anti-forms reached the edge of the battlefield. They both sneaked out of the rubble and began moving their way to the dark skyscraper quietly, but they could've ran and no one would've cared; there was just too much chaos to focus. Both Anti-forms were grinning darkly, as their plan was finally about to come into motion.

* * *

Roxas, still holding the comatose Sora, walked out of a dark and unnoticable alleyway, and he turned right to face the Castle That Never Was. Roxas stared up at the Organization's stronghold; he couldn't sense any Nobodies inside it at the moment. Roxas assumed that the Organization had summoned them to aid them in their fight behind him. Roxas, without looking back, began ascending the light walkway like he had done oh so long ago after his fight against Riku. Roxas was silent as his shoes slapped against the light walkway, making a surreal noise that sounded like glass shards lightly breaking. Roxas kept going, but a small smile made its way across his lips.

"I'm...I'm going to set Kingdom Hearts free...Xion, your wish will come true..." Roxas sighed, as he began to finally feel uplifted. Roxas still remembered what he had done to Axel too, and that quickly eliminated the smile. The feeling of success was still there, however, as Roxas entered Nothing's Call and began to make his way towards the Crooked Acension.

* * *

Atop the entire Organization stronghold, a dark portal opened. DiZ, Aqua, and the King all stepped out, appearing on a medium-sized circular platform. The white-tiled platform had several white spires around it that resembled Organization insignias, and the only way off of this peak of the stronghold was a marble staircase leading to a glass-covered hallway behind said stairs. DiZ looked into the sky and saw Kingdom Hearts; DiZ was suprised at its size. Kingdom Hearts seemed small from the Dark City, but at the top of the stronghold, the size of Kingdom Hearts took up nearly all of DiZ's area of vision. DiZ looked away from the lumious Kingdom Hearts; the glow was hurting his eyes.

"So we're here? Now what do you plan to do?" Aqua asked. "Because if it involves our Keyblades, you know the answer is no."

"...we now wait," DiZ chuckled.

"For whom, I may ask?" Aqua rhetorically wondered.

"Roxas. The Keyblade Master's Nobody shall do the hard work for us. We will watch," DiZ chuckled.

"DiZ, seriously, stop your plan now. Just stop this manipulation. Xemnas is dead. The Organization is in chaos. They'll destroy each other. Why continue?" the King asked.

"Becuase before they perish, I want them to see my laughing face as they fade. That is their punishment for betraying me," DiZ growled. The King just summoned his Keyblade, along with Aqua.

"Okay, DiZ. NOW you're going insane with revenge," Aqua growled.

"Stop your plan, and get out of here," the King ordered. "This is going way too far."

"That's what you think. I will destroy Kingdom Hearts, making it impossible for any Heartless or Nobody to ever reach it. That is my goal, and my heart commands me to do what is right," DiZ retorted.

"And my heart tells me what you think is right is wrong!" Aqua shouted.

"Bah. Weak," DiZ shrugged off. Aqua just pointed her Keyblade at DiZ.

"Weak!? Do you know what I've gone through!? Master Eraqus is dead! Terra is gone! Ventus is in a vegetative state! And yet you think you're better!? You're worse than nothing!" Aqua screeched.

"Why didn't you come to me before things got this bad, DiZ? There could've been a different solution other than this," the King tried to explain. DiZ just stared up at Kingdom Hearts again.

"Because this is my destiny: to stop Organization XIII, no matter what the cost. You should be smart enough to see that, my King," DiZ explained.

"And you're willing to sacrifice Riku's and Sora's live to reach that end?" the King asked.

"Sacrifices have to be made in order to succeed. Riku is, unfortunatly, one of those sacrifices," DiZ growled. The King just pointed his own Keyblade at DiZ. DiZ laughed.

"Go ahead, King," DiZ taunted. "Kill me. See what good it will do now. The pieces are already in place. Soon, Roxas will ascend those very steps and free Kingdom Hearts, and even if you kill me, I will still laugh at the demise of my old traitorous colleagues."

The King and Aqua stood there, unsure of what to do next; DiZ, despite being completely and utterly wrong, was still right in that last statement. Both the King and Aqua looked at each other, before withdrawing their Keyblades. Their attitude and facial expressions, however, were still unhindered.

"Damn you, DiZ," Aqua swore. DiZ just chuckled.

"Language, young one, language," DiZ taunted. Aqua now had the irrestiable urge to do something all Kingdom Hearts fans wanted to do since they beat Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days and strangle DiZ on the spot. **(This applies to Organization XIII fans as well as KH diehards.)**

* * *

Roxas was walking through an empty hallway with Sora by his side. Looking to his right, Roxas saw an empty room with some white furniture and a glass wall that showed Kingdom Hearts in the sky. Roxas grimaced; this was the Grey Area, or the main hub of Roxas's life before he defected from Organization XIII. Roxas continued following the hallway, passing up the Grey Room so he could continue on his quest for Kingdom Hearts. Roxas soon entered a graveyard-like room. Roxas looked around and saw 12 graves, 6 on the left and 6 on the right. At the farthest part of the room--the two graves closest to the hallway leading to the next area--Roxas saw Xigbar's grave (depicted by his arrowguns) and saw it was blue. Roxas could only assume Xigbar was still alive. Looking at the next farthest grave, Roxas saw that this one had Xaldin's wind lances--this had to be his future grave--and he saw it was also blue as well. The 4 middle graves belonged, in order from left to right, to Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, and Sai"X. Roxas did see that all but Sai"X's grave was blue; Roxas saw that Sai"X's grave was a blood-red, which signaled he was dead. This came as a suprise to Roxas; he didn't know Sai"X had died, but at least that meant Roxas had one less possible problem to deal with. Looking at the final graves, Roxas saw, in order from left to right, the graves of Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, and Roxas. The only blood-red grave was Axel's, and Roxas felt a wave of guilt wash over him. A wave of rage then swept over Roxas, as he saw that there was no grave for Xion; if they were going to neglect her, couldn't they have at least given her a grave to remember her by, too!? Roxas walked past the graves and continued up the hallway, going up some stairs until reaching a skyway. Roxas looked into the dark sky and saw several flashes from the fight going on at the dark skyscraper below. Roxas sighed, but he continued to follow the pathway while dragging Sora along, heading for Kingdom Hearts faster now.

"_Xion...your wish...it will come true...it's almost over now..." _Roxas thought, as he continued to drag Sora determinedly towards the top of the stronghold.

**We're getting to the climax, people! What's up with the Anti-forms? Soon you'll find out! AND DUH TRUTH WILL BLOW YOU AWAY! REVIEW!**


	16. Truth Behind Lies

**Like, ZOMG. Only about like, what, 2 days since this last updated. I'm on a roll! Anyways, here's the chapter you've been waiting for! The one that reveals a lot of awesome! Be prepared! This chapter may contain mind-blowing secrets that will possibly blow your mind! Obviously...**

_Chapter Sixteen: Truth Behind Lies_

Roxas walked up several marble stairs leading to the very peak of the stronghold, carrying a comatose Sora alongside him. Whenever he reached the very top, he saw Aqua and the King standing there, with DiZ standing the farthest away. DiZ smiled, as if he had predicted Roxas's arrival.

"Hello, Roxas," DiZ greeted. Roxas impassively stood there.

"DiZ," Roxas returned, although with no emotion. Roxas and everyone stood there, silent, until Roxas spoke up again. "Are you here to stop me?"

"No, not at all," DiZ answered. "Go ahead and free Kingdom Hearts."

"...fine. It's not like I have any other fake purpose," Roxas sighed. DiZ looked at Roxas, partially confused. Roxas went over to Aqua, and looked up into her eyes.

"I don't know who you are..." Roxas sighed, before propping up Sora. "...but Sora needs to be with someone safe and with a heart. Please take care of him."

Aqua gasped as Roxas said that. This was mainly because she felt like she was witnessing the demise of her best friend and fellow Keyblade Master Ventus, yet he didn't even recognize her. Aqua carefully took Sora and held him bridal-style, with Sora's right arm falling limply to the side. Roxas put his hand into his pocket and pulled out the purple seashell that Xion left behind when she died all those days ago.

"Xion..." Roxas managed to utter. A single teardrop fell from his eye as Roxas's face turned into a soft smile. "I'm here now...and your wish can finally be granted..."

DiZ saw the teardrop and smile, making him scowl. "A Nobody cannot feel," DiZ growled. "So why are you trying to give off the ruse of emotion?"

"It may be a ruse. In fact, it always is a ruse when it comes to Nobodies," Roxas managed to utter. "I have no true purpose, because I am a Nobody...but I was given one last mission before my best friend disappeared, even if my friendship to her was smoke and mirrors."

DiZ was astounded by this; a Nobody not only agreeing with him, but actually accepting his uselessness in the universe? "That mission I needed to finish was to set Kingdom Hearts free...and now that can happen..." Roxas managed to utter, before he summoned both his Keyblades. Roxas had already made up his mind. He was going to finish everything the Organization started. DiZ smirked.

"Then what? Nobodies have no purpose than to fade into darkness," DiZ reminded Roxas. "What will you do when your so-called purpose is served?"

Roxas just stared at his Oblivion Keyblade. "It will be painful for only a second...but then I will merge with Sora and be with Xion...forever..." Roxas sighed. He felt like he was in a dream. The King, however, was shocked.

"WOAH! Wait a second! You just can't go and kill yourself when you're purpose is done!" the King shouted.

"Like DiZ said, Nobodies have no purpose," Roxas mentioned in a serious voice that felt direct and sure. "So...who would care? I will finally be at peace...and Sora will awaken. Everything works out now..."

Roxas, having stunned and quieted everyone with that, pointed his Oathkeeper Keyblade at the shining Kingdom Hearts. "Be free, hearts that make up this moon...you deserve it..." Roxas monolouged, accepting his fate to fade away. The Oathkeeper Keyblade got a large, glowing circle of light around the very tip of the Keyblade, before the circle of light suppressed itself so much until it hit the Keyblade itself. As soon as the circle of light hit the Oathkeeper's blade's tip, a large beam of light shot out of Oathkeeper and hit Kingdom Hearts directly. Almost instantly, Kingdom Hearts began glowing radiantly.

"It's beginning to free itself...it's almost over..." Roxas sighed, his eyes growing misty from seeing his mission finally being accomplished. Kingdom Hearts began shooting out hearts in all directions, all of them returning to their original beings of life on every planet. Roxas opened his arms and let himself get bathed in the light of Kingdom Hearts, having finally completed his mission...

...or had he?

* * *

Down at the Dark City, everyone was still brawling at the front of the Memory's Skyscraper, minus Luxord and the Anti-forms. Maleficent had gotten back up after her brutal attack from the Reaper Nobody, and Oogie Boogie, Captain Hook, Jafar, and Ursula had managed to recover as well. Xaldin and Xigbar were continuing to fire at will, throwing as many Nobodies as they could at the rebellious Organization members. Heartless were swarming everywhere in a frenzy. Riku-Ansem was sucessfully fighting off Vexen, Riku-Replica, Lexaeus, and Zexion single-handedly. Everything was chaotic, but what happened next would blow everyone away. Marluxia was prepared to launch his ultimate attack upon his enemies; a large assault of sharp poisoned sakura petals in a near-unavoidable frenzy. Larxene was about to move at hyperspeed and let her afterimages kill off everyone. Maleficent was prepared to unleash her best dark flame attacks alongside her Heartless group. Zexion was ready to break reality if he had to. Vexen had his shield ready to freeze everything that was against him, and Lexaeus was ready to cause a planet-shattering earthquake. But then Kingdom Hearts was freed. Everyone looked up, suprised and shocked. They all watched silently as Kingdom Hearts was freed; no one, be they Heartless, Nobody, Organization member, or a person with a heart, turned away as they saw the radiance that was Kingdom Hearts disappearing before their very eyes. Marluxia saw this, and screamed.

"WHAT!? NO! WHY IS KINGDOM HEARTS DISAPPEARING!? I'M SUPPOSED TO GET MY OWN HEART FROM IT!" Marluxia screamed at the top of his lungs. Xaldin threw his lances into the ground.

"I DON'T BELEIVE THIS!" Xaldin screamed.

"How...NO! How could this have...!?" Maleficent shouted. "Kingdom Hearts was supposed to be my ultimate power!"

"...Roxas got past us and got to the top! HE FREED KINGDOM HEARTS!" Larxene screamed. "I THOUGHT IF KINGDOM HEARTS WAS FREED, THE HEARTS WOULD RETURN TO US!"

"...hehehehehe...HAHAHAHAHAHA!" a voice boomed. Everyone in the area turned their heads to look at Anti-Sora, who was laughing maniacally.

"You...what's so funny?" Zexion growled.

"Anti-Sora?" Riku-Replica asked, confused himself. Anti-Sora calmed himself down, while still retaining the malignant and malicious smile of his.

"All of you are fools..." Anti-Sora insulted. "You, Maleficent, and your allies crave power...you Nobodies crave hearts...and you, Riku, crave your friend Sora's safe return..."

"What the...what are you..." Riku-Ansem asked, suprised.

"Okay, Anti-Sora, what's going on?" Riku-Replica asked.

"Wait, you mean you don't know?" Vexen asked, suprised himself. Anti-Roxas laughed now.

"Wow. You'd honestly think we'd ever tell you! You are all stupider than you look! But since it will all end soon, let's tell them everything..." Anti-Roxas growled.

"What are you hiding!?" Marluxia shouted.

* * *

Roxas stared as he saw Kingdom Hearts's essence become masterless and free as he wanted it to be. Finally, it was all over. The hearts were all migrating to where they needed to go, and now it could all be over. Roxas took the Oblivion Keyblade, and looked at it intently.

"Roxas..." the King began.

"You won't change my mind. I'm going back to Sora and Xion," Roxas sighed, getting ready to impale himself with the Oblivion Keyblade.

"Roxas..." Aqua began.

"Xion...I'm coming, my...love..." Roxas sighed, taking in a deep breath as he got himself ready for the cold blade to hit him.

"ROXAS!" DiZ screamed, voice filled with worry. This sudden outburst scared Roxas and made him drop his Keyblades. Roxas turned to DiZ angry.

"What!?" Roxas shouted. Roxas's face then turned to suprise as he saw DiZ's scared face. DiZ just pointed in the direction of the Memory's Skyscraper.

"Look..." all three people said at once. Roxas turned around, and dropped his jaw. All the Hearts from Kingdom Hearts were disappearing from behind him...and were beginning to gather up at Memory's Skyscraper.

* * *

Everyone at Memory's Skyscraper's location looked up into the sky and saw each and every individual heart beginning to appear in the sky above the Skyscraper. Anti-Sora just chuckled madly.

"Normally, if Kingdom Hearts were to be freed...the hearts would return to their respective beings," Anti-Sora began. "So, if Roxas were to access Kingdom Hearts and free it from Organization XIII's control, the hearts would return to their original beings."

More hearts began to appear around the Skyscraper as Marluxia and everyone else watched in awe. "But...as you can see, that is not the case now..." Anti-Sora laughed.

* * *

"What!? The hearts are supposed to return! What's going on!?" Roxas screamed. As soon as Roxas shouted that, a dark blue creature appeared in front of the five beings. The dark blue creature reminded Roxas of a Neoshadow Heartless because of its antennae, but it had the body and figure of a Shadow Heartless; it generally looked like a smaller and discolored version of a Neoshadow. Several of these things began to appear as everyone backed away. Aqua put the comatose Sora down behind Roxas, and she summoned her own Keyblade.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this?" Zexion wondered.

"Simple, Zexion," Anti-Sora continued. "I never was created by Organization XIII, nor do I harbor any enmity towards them. I merely was made from the darkness as a powerful Heartless, no more. However, when I was beaten...I was brought back by my dark Queen."

"Dark Queen?" Lexaeus wondered.

"Yes," Anti-Roxas spoke up. "The Dark Queen. And she gave us the assignment to use Xion's dead body essence to forge myself. She gave us the task to spy on Organization XIII. She gave us the task to recreate the Riku-Replica so we could work under the guise as people wanting revenge."

"What did you say!?" Riku-Replica screamed.

"That's low, even for you," Riku-Ansem growled.

"For once, we're in agreement," Riku-Replica growled as well.

* * *

"I don't beleive this! They were supposed to be gone!" the King shouted, summoning his own Keyblade.

"What are those things!?" Roxas screamed.

"The Universed!" Aqua shouted. As soon as she said that, one of these so-called Universed jumped upwards and tried to slash at Aqua, before she sliced it in two and killed it.

* * *

"Of course, while doing so, we found out about Roxas's dejection from Organization XIII," Anti-Sora continued. "And we inducted him for the sole reason to keep us under the gun. That's why we worked with him."

"And what about the "dead" Organization members?" Xaldin wondered.

"I admit, that was not part of the original plan," Anti-Sora admitted. "But reviving them and getting them in a revenge ploy against Organization XIII added on to our guise and cover. We worked with them in an attempt to kill Xemnas and the Organization...but our true agenda was not that at all..."

"STOP STALLING!" Riku-Replica shouted. "What is going on here!?"

"Our true plan," Anti-Roxas started up. "...the destruction of all worlds."

"What!?" Maleficent shouted.

"Exactly," Anti-Sora chuckled. "We merely needed Roxas at some point, so when we inducted him, it was perfect! Now that he has freed Kingdom Hearts, we can use the power of hearts to make our Dark Queen become unstoppable!"

* * *

"What are Universed?" Roxas asked, confused. Aqua slashed at the rest of the Universed, downing them in one fell swoop.

"They're basically the ancestors of Heartless and Nobodies! But they're supposed to be gone!" Aqua shouted. DiZ attempted to open a dark portal, but couldn't.

"What's wrong, DiZ?" the King asked.

"I think because of Kingdom Hearts being freed, I cannot use dark portals," DiZ explained. "We have to get to the Memory's Skyscraper now!"

"Agreed!" Roxas shouted, picking up the comatose Sora. "If the hearts are gathering there, my mission isn't complete yet!"

"I'll take point!" Aqua commanded, running down the marble steps. Following her in order was the King, DiZ, and Roxas carrying Sora.

* * *

"Unstoppable?" Riku-Ansem asked, barely able to breathe out of fear and confusion.

"Exactly. Now, the hearts are gathering here, and all will fall," Anti-Sora chuckled.

"...so you used me and Roxas to get to Kingdom Hearts, and you used Roxas's and my vengance against Organization XIII as an excuse!?" Riku-Replica screamed.

"Yes. You are correct," Anti-Roxas confirmed. "But you may be wondering who our Dark Queen is?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes," Riku-Ansem growled.

"Well, step back and be amazed..." both Anti-forms said simultaneously as they stepped to the side and bowed down. Everyone gasped.

* * *

Aqua and the gang were literally speeding through the castle at mach speed. The Universed were being cut down quickly and easily, and soon everyone was already running down the light pathway leading to the Memory's Skyscraper. Roxas and the gang ran onto the scene, much to everyone's suprise. Roxas and his group had ran all the way up to everyone else, so he had missed seeing Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas as he did so.

"What's going on here!?" Roxas shouted.

"The end of it all," Anti-Sora growled. Roxas turned around and saw the two Anti-forms, as they were bowing down before the Dark Queen. Roxas just dropped his two Keyblades. Aqua dropped her jaw. DiZ's eyes widened, and the King couldn't even say a word. The being standing inbetween Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas had on a black dress, and had purple hair and white skin.

"...I was tormented from the beginning by Organization XIII...I was never meant to exist...and now I can unleash my rage upon all those who have wronged me...now I can take revenge upon those who have been prejudiced against me for their own racist reasons...and now I can rid the worlds of the dark lords that inhabit them..." the Dark Queen moaned. Roxas just got tears in his eyes.

"No...no...it...you can't be..." Roxas moaned.

"The Organization abused me..." the Dark Queen continued, lifting up her head as she did so. "DiZ mocked me...everyone had their own selfish reasons to abuse power...now it ends."

"...no...please...this isn't...this can't be..." Roxas tried to say in pure shock. Even Riku-Ansem was taken aback. Everyone except for Roxas and the Anti-forms were stepping back out of pure fear of the situation at hand.

"Prepare for judgement, fools," Anti-Sora chuckled evilly. The Dark Queen moved her purple hair back from her face, and Roxas's jaw dropped. The only difference on the face was a purple mark resembling a shattered heart. Other than that, the Dark Queen had the face of...

...of Namine.

"...N...Namine...?" Roxas asked, confused beyond belief. Namine looked down, pushing her purple hair out of her eyes.

"Yes, it is I, Namine," Namine began, her voice partially distorted; this only added to the creepiness of the situation. "I am the Dark Queen."

"But why?" Riku-Ansem asked. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Does it not, Riku?" Namine growled. "You are all the same: greedy and pitiful."

"Namine..." Roxas barely managed to utter. Marluxia brandished his scythe and Larxene got her kunais ready to throw.

"You little witch!" Marluxia shouted, before firing a pink energy wave at Namine from his scythe. Larxene also threw her kunais at Namine. Namine merely got her notepad, wrote in it a bit, and immdiately the kunais and energy wave vanished into thin air. This astounded everyone instantly.

"I have the power of memory, and whatever I write in my notebook happens in reality," Namine continued. Several Universed began appearing at the feet of Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas. "As such, the attacks you threw never happened."

"WHAT!?" both Marluxia and Larxene screamed simultaneously. Zexion got his lexicon ready and began to charge up the book until it was glowing.

"Let's see you take on this!" Zexion shouted. Roxas couldn't move, nor could he speak; what was happening and unfolding right before his eyes was simply too much for him to bear. Zexion fired a beam of light energy out of the book, but to no avail; Namine erased that too with the swipe of her pencil.

"Whoever said the pen was mightier than the sword...was right," Namine growled.

"Namine...why?" Roxas asked. "What did they do to you?"

"Oh, I'll tell you!" Namine shouted, angry; even though this was a ruse, even DiZ beleived it. "Marluxia, Larxene, and the rest of Organization XIII abused me in that stupid Castle Oblivion! I was torn up, thrown away, tossed aside like a rag doll! I've been mistreated, and because of my Nobody origins, no one can EVER take me seriously! DiZ..."

Throwing a death glare at DiZ for a couple seconds, Namine continued. "All the Organization cares about is hearts, and they will go to any length to get them. All Maleficent and her gang care about is to conquer the worlds with an iron fist. All Riku and DiZ care about is getting Sora's heart back so they can use him as a PUPPET for their needs! But you, Roxas, perplex me the most..."

"What do you mean?" Roxas managed to say, while everyone else stood there, shocked from what Namine said; despite everyone wanting to yell out and deny Namine's accusations, they knew in their minds she was right all along with that.

"I'll tell you what I mean, Roxas," Namine continued, stern and angry. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas stood impassively, smirking partially, as more and more Universed began to surface around them. "Roxas, all you cared about is Xion. Xion this, Xion that. At the beginning, I thought it was sweet. But you don't care about anything else! I saw you go mentally INSANE at that castle because of Xion! I thought you were different from the rest, Roxas, but I was wrong."

If Roxas was glass, that comment would've shattered him on the spot. "But...Namine..." Roxas began, before Namine riased her hand to silence him.

"You kissed me. You made me feel like I was someone instead of a Nobody. You actually made me beleive...but I had to be sure," Namine growled. "So I sent Anti-Sora out after his successful mission in recruiting the Riku-Replica to try and lure you to the dark. And whenever Anti-Sora returned to me with that information..."

Roxas couldn't say anything to defend himself now. His body was screaming at him to do something to try to prove his innocence, but his mind proved that he really was like the rest; selfish and just a Nobody. "You broke me with that, Roxas. Whenever you returned with the ones that abused me...whenever you went crazy over Xion...whenever you IGNORED me standing here wrapped up in Marluxia's thorns...that's when I lost hope," Namine cried.

"But I didn't know you were encaptured!" Roxas pleaded suddenly. This was true; Roxas had not seen Namine captured at all whenever he took a brief look around the corner last chapter. Namine just screamed.

"SILENCE!" Namine cried, her scream being so powerful that an energy field began to appear around her. Aqua just stepped forward, her Keyblade in hand.

"Namine, please listen! You don't have to do this!" Aqua pleaded. Namine just turned to her, her eyes glistening with tears and glazed over with hatred.

"I DON'T TAKE ORDERS ANYMORE!" Namine screamed, before pointing her hand at the sky. Immdiately, all the hearts revolving around Memory's Skyscraper began to shoot down and hit Namine's hand in a single-file line. Namine absorbed the hearts easily, and she began floating into the sky while a glow of dark light began to appear around her. **(Cue the music "Welcome to the End" by sasukeshika of YouTube.)**

"NAMINE!" Roxas shouted, not even beleiving this was happening. Namine continued to float in the air, absorbing the power of the hearts. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas then began to lift their own hands. Each of the Universed minions summoned in front of them began to turn towards the Anti-forms, before jumping atop them. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas (commanding the Universed to do so) began absorbing the Universed to summon their maximum powers. Soon enough, Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas jumped out of the Universed horde, both of them a dark blue color. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas looked down at Roxas and grinned.

"Sorry, Roxas. The Queen has spoken," Anti-Sora chuckled. Roxas then gripped both of his Keyblades in complete fury. Aqua, still holding the comatose Sora, stared on in suprise; Roxas's face looked oh-so-similar to Ven's whenever Braig attacked them at the Keyblade Graveyard.

"HOW DARE YOU DECEIVE ME!?" Roxas screamed.

"Oh. That sounds like something Sai"X or Xemnas would say...maybe Marluxia..." Anti-Roxas chuckled. Roxas's eyes widened, and he gritted his own teeth; they were right...but something inside Roxas was telling him this was wrong. Namine couldn't be allowed to do this. She can't just destroy all the worlds because of her prejudice against the ones she knows.

"...now prepare for the end of you, Roxas. My Queen. Can we finally end this charade?" Anti-Sora asked. Namine just nodded her head as her purple hair began to lift up, as if she was transforming.

"It will take a bit of time for my full power to be unleashed. You may do with Roxas and the others as you wish until then," Namine ordered. Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas looked at each other; now that the green light was given, it was time to finally fight. Anti-Sora stuck out his left hand, while Anti-Roxas stuck out his right. They both grabbed the stuck-out hands with their own. While most everyone looked on confused, Anti-Roxas and Anti-Sora began to merge into one entity. A large flash of darkness was seen (which looked like a flash of black light for visual purposes), and whenever the darkness subsided...

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE!" Aqua screamed.

"Is that...?" Xigbar asked, suprised himself. The King just dropped his own Keyblade.

"What is that thing...?" Riku-Ansem asked. Riku-Ansem looked down at the Riku-Replica, then compared it to the being that floated in the air before them. The merged being of Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas looked like a dark being that was both familiar and yet distant to Roxas. The new being had black, spiky hair, which Roxas noted was similar to Sora's. The being also had bright yellow eyes, like the Anti-forms themselves, yet also retaining a normal human's eye. The being's skin was exactly like Sora's, and his armor looked like a sinister mix of black and red, with a large Heartless symbol on the chest. He grinned, before looking down at Roxas. Aqua immdiately recognized the being.

"VANITAS!" Aqua screamed, putting Sora down gently before getting out her Keyblade. Taking no hesitation, Aqua charged at Vanitas, but Vanitas summoned a dark Keyblade, smashed it into her stomach, and easily flipped her aside into a wall. Roxas looked at Aqua, seeing Xion's pained face for a second, before turning back to the so-called Vanitas.

"WHO ARE YOU!? Are you Anti-Sora or Anti-Roxas!?" Roxas screamed, getting Oblivion and Oathkeeper ready for battle. Vanitas just laughed manically, before summoning an invincible barrier around the base of the Memory's Skyscraper, seperating Namine, Aqua, and everyone else from the two foes.

"I am neither Anti-Sora nor Anti-Roxas now..." Vanitas announced, with a booming voice. "I am the true Anti-form. The original Universed Lord. The King, so to speak. I am Vanitas."

"Heh. Vanitas? Reminds me of vanity. Seems to suit you," Roxas retorted. Vanitas looked down at Roxas with gleaming malicious eyes.

"You act just like Ventus. No wonder your face is so similar," Vanitas growled, with a dark smile on his lips. Roxas just got his Keyblades ready.

"I'm not a "Ventus!" I am me! Nobody else!" Roxas shouted. Vanitas got his dark Keyblade ready as he descended towards Roxas.

"Soon, you will be nobody else...quite literally," Vanitas demonically growled as he got into his battle stance. Roxas jumped forwards and got ready to fight Vanitas, one-on-one. As for the others, all they could do was stand and watch...at least until several thousand Universed appear all around them. Everyone got their weapons brandished and turned so their backs were facing each other.

"Well, this isn't good..." Zexion noted.

"I'll smite these things!" Hades growled.

"Get ready! These things are tricky!" Aqua warned.

"Let's do this," Marluxia growled.

"...for the worlds!" the King shouted, before everyone also ran into battle against the hordes of Universed in the fight to decide the fate of The World That Never Was.

**Fun fact: I created this battle after hearing about Birth By Sleep and seeing how it all went down thanks to YouTube! And now I'm glad I did! REVIEW! And prepare for the end of KH: FTS...yes, soon the story will end. I surmise another 3 to 5 chapters will finish it up nicely. Now...REVIEW!**


	17. Sora, Roxas, Or Ventus?

**Okay, since we're literally AT the climax, might as well show you all part two of this fight to the death! HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER YOU ALL ORDERED!**

_Chapter Seventeen: Sora? Roxas? Or Ventus?_

Roxas and Vanitas clashed blade for blade as they continued charging at each other, merciless in their attacks. Roxas jumped into the air and fired his Keyblades downwards at Vanitas, who prompty deflected both of them with his single Keyblade. Vanitas enveloped himself into a dark sphere, which made Roxas confused. Instantly, a shadow version of Vanitas ran out of the dark orb, charging directly at Roxas. Roxas, a bit shocked, ran to the side quickly, managing to avoid getting sliced in two by the shadow Vanitas's sharp claws. Roxas then looked back at the dark orb and saw a second shadow Vanitas charging at him, while the first shadow Vanitas just stood in the spot where it missed Roxas, as if frozen in time. Roxas dodged the second shadow Vanitas, but a third one came out of the dark orb and attacked Roxas in the same fashion. Roxas just took the hang of things from there and began running in a wide-arc around the dark orb, avoiding the many shadow Vanitas's attacks while doing so. Soon enough, the dark orb burst and the original Vanitas ran out at the speed of light, almost killing Roxas in one hit with a sharp slice from his Keyblade. Roxas ducked and sliced at Vanitas, successfully hitting him and blowing him back. Vanitas flipped into the air and sunk below the ground like a Neoshadow, before the glistening shadow of where he sunk into began glowing and charging towards him. Roxas ran back as fast as he could, and this proved to be effective as Vanitas immdiately burst out of the glistening shade and caused a minor shockwave, before jumping high into the air and shooting fireballs in a wider radius around him. Before Roxas could retaliate, Vanitas disappeared and reappeared right behind Roxas, a couple feet away. Running at the speed of sound, Vanitas came around Roxas's left side and right side immdiately. Roxas jumped up, and just in time too, as Vanitas clasped his hands together and the two dark streaks he left on the left and right sides of Roxas turned into sharp Keyblades and immdiately clashed together like some sort of closing jaw. Roxas glided out of the way, before Vanitas began floating slightly. Roxas continued running as Vanitas fired a large, blue energy beam out of his Keyblade. Roxas smiled as he saw the weak point here; Vanitas's attack was powerful, but it was slow-moving, and Roxas could easily counter if he got closer. Taking the opportunity, Roxas ran forwards and went right behind Vanitas. Before Vanitas could even turn around to hit Roxas, Roxas began slashing at Vanitas with both of his Keyblades, beating him up mercilessly. Soon, the energy beam attack ended, but Roxas continued his attack. Roxas was then blasted backwards by the pure force of energy released from Vanitas when he encased himself in a column of flame, and he began charging at Roxas with a flaming Keyblade. Roxas couldn't help but compare it to Axel's chakrams as he attacked Roxas. Roxas jumped out of the way many times, as Vanitas was returning the merciless favor with more spice than Roxas could hope to muster up. Soon, Vanitas jumped into the air and slammed downwards, creating a flaming "X" on the ground. Roxas stopped, about to charge back to attack Vanitas, until Vanitas slammed his Keyblade into the ground and created an ice crystal that almost hit Roxas. Vanitas then tried to slash back at Roxas, but this was in vain, as Roxas jumped backwards.

"_I'm getting nowhere with these pointless attacks! What else does this guy have!?" _Roxas mentally screamed. As if Vanitas was reading his mind, Vanitas jumped into the air and sliced at Rxoas, creating a large, bluish-purple energy wave that began pursuing Roxas relentlessly. As Roxas ran from this energy blade attack, Vanitas went back into his dark ball formation and began sending the shadow Vanitas clones at him again.

"_AAH! THIS COULD GO ON FOREVER!" _Roxas mentally screamed as he avoiding both the energy blade AND the shadow Vanitas clones, the constant hum of the rain pounding down almost in sync with Vanitas's taunting laughter.

"What's wrong, Ventus? Can't handle the darkness?" Vanitas taunted. Roxas growled, before jumped directly over Vanitas and charging down, despite the dark orb being up.

"MY NAME IS ROXAS! NOT SORA, NOT NUMBER XIII, AND NOT VENTUS!" Roxas screamed, before clashing both his Keyblades on the dark ball. This had no effect, as Roxas was sent flying backwards before hitting into the ground. Vanitas dropped the dark orb and charged at Roxas, but Roxas shot his strongest Blizzara spell at Vanitas, hitting him directly in the face. Vanitas stumbled from this sudden pain, and Roxas took the opportunity to begin wailing on Vanitas with both Keyblades. Vanitas swung his Keyblade into Roxas's side, hitting Roxas into one of the speared pillars adorning the railings of the Memory's Skyscraper's entryway. Vanitas, his face half encased in ice, growled.

"Don't you even say what goes around comes around, Ventus..." Vanitas growled, before throwing his now-flaming Keyblade at Roxas. Roxas deflected the flaming Keyblade successfully.

"I'M NOT VENTUS!" Roxas shouted. Vanitas just chuckled.

"Oh, are you not, Roxas? Ventus has a connection to you, more so than even the Organization themselves know..." Vanitas chuckled, before beginning to do his devastating fire "X" attack again. Roxas jumped out of the way, getting prepared to avoid his next attacks with as much speed and agility as he could muster at this point; Roxas knew he couldn't hold out forever, though. He was getting fatiqued fast, and he had a strange feeling Vanitas knew that; he was just toying with him until he couldn't take it anymore. Roxas growled again, before charging back at Vanitas for another assault.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marluxia kept slicing his scythe at the Universed, cutting them down easy. Lexaeus smashed his axe sword into the ground, opening a crevasse that sent several Universed falling into an abyss below the Dark City. Zexion fired several spells out of his lexicon, setting some Universed on fire, freezing some Universed on the spot, and shocking several Universed into submission. Larxene was throwing her kunais in every direction, hitting into as many Universed as she could. Vexen and Riku-Replica were throwing everything they had at the hordes of Universed, with Riku-Ansem using his Heartless guardian to throw several Universed into each other, making them easy targets. The Heartless group were doing everything they could to subdue the Universed, but to no avail; the Universed easily over-powered them quickly. Several Universed tried to jump Riku-Ansem from behind, but a couple slashes from the King and Aqua ended them easy. The King, Riku-Ansem (who had back-flipped to avoid a large Universed's attack), and Aqua all stood back-to-back, as several Universed surrounded them. Riku-Ansem smirked.

"Well, this seems unfair for them," Riku-Ansem chuckled.

"You think we can take 'em?" the King wondered.

"Well...it might be difficult if one more showed up," Aqua noted.

"Then that'll be the one I'll take care of," Riku-Ansem chuckled again, before the three Keybladers ran out in a straight line and began slicing down the clusters of Universed. At the same time, Marluxia used his pink scythe and sliced several of the Universed into two halves without any effort at all. Xaldin threw his spears into the air, and formed them into his lance dragon. Jumping atop his lance dragon, Xaldin began firing a large wind burst at the Universed, blowing them into the air like insects. Of course, some of the Universed used their new aerial setting to their advantage; some Universed began spinning, so they could bound off of the sides of the buildings and strike back at Xaldin. Xaldin continued slicing away the Universed, until one Universed struck him from behind. Whenever Xaldin let his guard down, several more Universed slammed directly into Xaldin's chest, knocking the wind out of him. **(I KNOW UNINTENTIONAL PUN) **Xaldin dropped his lances and fell over...and he never got back up, as the Universed began clustering over him, slashing at him mercilessly. Demyx saw Xaldin go down, and whenever the Universed got off and ran towards everyone else, there was nothing there anymore.

"OH JEEZ THEY GOT XALDIN!" Demyx shouted, strumming on his sitar faster to make his water clones appear and attack the Universed. Since it was raining heavily, the water clones were substancially powered-up, although the Universed had no trouble destroying them easy. Demyx used his water powers to run around, while shooting up columns of water as he did so. Meanwhile, Aqua and the King continued slicing Universed, until Aqua was slammed in the back next to Larxene. Larxene turned around and ripped apart the Universed that knocked over Aqua, as Aqua quickly got up.

"How do these things keep coming?" Larxene asked, while still attacking.

"It's Vanitas!" Aqua grunted, before slicing up three Universed with one swipe of her Keyblade. "He's the controller of them! When he goes down, the Universed will disappear!"

"But these things appeared before he was recreated!" Xigbar shouted, shooting several Universed out of the sky. Aqua grimaced at the sight of Xigbar.

"Braig, I see you've been doing well," Aqua growled, before slashing some more Universed to pieces. Xigbar just teleported himself behind Aqua and began shooting energy arrows at more Universed.

"Man, just let bygones be bygones already..." Xigbar sighed, while continuing to shoot at the Universed.

* * *

Vanitas continued chuckling evilly as he used his dark shadow clones to attack Roxas like before. Roxas continued running, unsure of how to try and attack; he was running out of energy fast.

"Come on, Ventus! Show me your strength!" Vanitas shouted. Roxas then gripped both his Keyblades, before hearing Xion's voice again.

"_This is him...it's Sora..." _Xion's voice uttered. Roxas's eyes widened, before Roxas jumped into the air.

"I'M NOT VENTUS!" Roxas screamed, before getting his Keyblades ready. Vanitas looked up and smirked.

"What are you going to do now, Ventus?" Vanitas growled. Roxas smirked, before many light meteors appeared around him. Vanitas's eyes widened. "What...didn't see that one coming..."

"_Cxnik...Stexven...Exsan...Elinx...Sin Juxt...Alexx...Phosnext...Xion...LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!" _Roxas mentally screamed, before firing the light meteors down upon Vanitas. Vanitas began firing his dark clones at the meteors, but the light meteors outnumbered the shadow Vanitas clones, and Vanitas was pummeled by light meteors. Vanitas was blown back painfully, but he flipped over and began firing dark fireballs out of his hands. Roxas's light meteors and Vanitas's fireballs began countering each other, as a large light show of force between them continued.

"Give in, Ventus!" Vanitas screamed.

"I'M ROXAS! AND I WON'T GIVE IN!" Roxas shouted back. Vanitas just laughed.

"Oh, really? Has the Organization even MADE the damn connection between you, Sora, and Ventus? Or are they too blinded by Kingdom Hearts to care?" Vanitas growled.

"What exactly do you mean?" Roxas asked, while still firing light meteors.

"Oh, I'll tell you what I mean!" Vanitas shouted. "Ventus will be absorbed by me! His dark half, Vanitas. What does this concern you and Sora with, though?"

Roxas then ran out of power and stopped firing light meteors. Vanitas stopped his assault as well and looked straight at Roxas. "Ventus's heart was damaged in our last fight. And it migrated to a vessel worthy of holding it until it was restored. That vessel was Sora."

Aqua heard this and gasped. "What did he just-?" Aqua asked, before being tackled by several Universed. However, the Universed didn't kill her, but held her down per Vanitas's mental orders.

"And when Sora created you, his Nobody...Ventus's physical form was derived into your body. Therefore, you are the splitting image of Ventus," Vanitas explained. Roxas was suprised, and he backed up a bit.

"Of course, you have your own identity. But nonetheless, you AND Sora both have Ventus's heart inside of you. And I want it back for the X-Blade," Vanitas growled. "Now, DIE!"

At that instant, Vanitas ran at the speed of sound and created two dark streaks besides Roxas. Roxas was stunned, and he tried to jump, but several large swords flew out of the streaks of darkness and impaled him. Roxas, badly injured, fell over in defeat as Vanitas began slowly walking towards him. Aqua continued to struggle, until a couple slices from Marluxia and several shots from Xigbar killed the Universed holding her back. Aqua tried to reach the defeated Roxas and the comatose Sora, but couldn't because of the barrier Vanitas put up between them. Aqua, gripping her Keyblade in rage, began slicing at the Universed that began to surround her.

"VANITAS!" Aqua screamed while slicing away the Universed. The King was doing the exact same thing, but was having much difficulty due to fatique. Demyx, still running around, kept firing more water blasts at the Universed. Soon enough, however, one Universed jumped right in front of Demyx's path. Demyx was thrown off his guard and slammed face-first into the ground. Whenever the Universed swarmed him, Demyx was history. Larxene continued throwing her kunais like crazy, before growling in anger and beginning to glow a bright yellow. Several Universed jumped atop of her, but were shocked off by Larxene, before Larxene began running at hyperspeed. Larxene and her afterimages began slicing apart many Universed, but soon Larxene ran out of juice, and was surrounded. Larxene began spinning and firing a large electrical ball of energy, blasting several Universed into the air while shocking the rest. Marluxia took this opportunity to slice at more Universed, while Lexaeus began opening small fissures to send clusters of Universed down into their makeshift grave. Zexion and Vexen continued their assault against the Universed, but their strength was getting progressively weaker for each Universed they destroyed.

"I don't think we can hold out much longer!" Zexion shouted.

"ROXAS! Stop that Vanitas guy already!" Vexen growled. Roxas just grunted in pain.

"Vexen, Roxas's down!" Riku-Ansem shouted, before being hit by another Universed. Riku-Replica began slashing at the Universed alongside Riku-Ansem, although the fight was going nowhere. Larxene stopped her mad electrical rampage and began running at hyperspeed again, until one Universed got smart and slashed at her after her hyperspeed rampage was finished. Larxene was blown back into a wall, and several Universed tackled her to the floor. Larxene then joined Xaldin and Demyx in defeat whenever the Universed jumped away. Marluxia continued to swipe his scythe across the battlefields, sending flower blades across everything in all directions. Soon, though, Marluxia would run out of strength; Marluxia could already feel his power dwindling.

"_I already lost this fight whenever Namine went berserk...well, then, time to go out with a bang!" _Marluxia devilishly grinned as he thought this. Marluxia, holding his scythe, jumped high into the air, and he began glowing. Several sakura petals began flowing around his body, until he began shooting out petals faster than Larxene could ever run. Each petal struck down each and every Universed there, and Marluxia didn't stop until all of the Universed perished. Soon enough, however, Marluxia ran out of power and began to fade away into oblivion, but not until Marluxia sent one large flower burst at all the Universed, effectively killing most of them and injuring the rest. Marluxia fell to the ground and completely faded away, as with the Organization members that fell before him. Zexion and Lexaeus took this opportunity to double-team the remaining Universed. Lexaeus slammed his axe sword directly into the ground, opening another fissure that sent nearly all of the Universed to a dark grave. Zexion fired several powerful fire spells from his lexicon, burning the rest of the Universed that didn't fall into the crevasse. One Universed managed to sneak away, but was frozen in place by Vexen. Vexen, brandishing the sharp and pointy end of his ice shield, immdiately stabbed the Universed he froze directly in the chest, shattering it and killing it in one blow.

"Hmmph. Just an experiment," Vexen growled as he turned around. Zexion and Lexaeus stopped the assault, as Aqua and the King had vanquished the final dozen of Universed that had been surrounding them. Taking a look now, everyone took instant note of what was happening.

Marluxia, Larxene, Xaldin, and Demyx were obliterated.

Roxas was down and Sora was still comatose.

Namine, at this point, had probably absorbed 50 percent of Kingdom Hearts, although it was too soon to be sure.

And the Heartless group---Pete, Hades, Maleficent, Jafar, Oogie Boogie, and Ursula---were all dead because of the Universed.

Zexion clenched his fists together. "That is it! Stand back!" Zexion growled. Zexion summoned his lexicon in front of him, and he began doing a similar tactic to one of the previous chapters whenever he saved Roxas, the Riku-Replica, and (regrettably) Anti-Sora from the clutches of Sai"X and Xigbar at Hollow Bastion. Soon enough, Zexion opened his eyes, and the invisible barrier seperating Vanitas, Roxas, and Sora from everyone else was shattered. Aqua took no time in running in and slammed her Keyblade into Vanitas's chest, flipping his over onto his back while he was suprised. The King went over to Roxas and cast a Cure spell on him, healing him of his afflictions. Zexion, Lexaeus, and Vexen ran in front of the King and Roxas, weapons all ready. Vanitas got up and turned around, and he saw the Riku-Replica, Xigbar, Riku-Ansem, DiZ, and Aqua all standing behind him. Vanitas grinned and chuckled deeply.

"So, you killed my Universed children? How sad," Vanitas fake-cried. "But in turn, you all will lose. The Dark Queen will finish her absorbtion process soon. Even if I fall, she will not, and the Universed shall rule! No one, not even Master Yen Sid, can stop us!"

"You're way too corrupt, Vanitas! Aqua and I stopped you before! We can stop you again!" the King growled, jumping over Lexaeus and getting his Keyblade ready for battle. Vanitas noted that the King's Keyblade had a silver handle, a golden blade, and had a red connective piece where the blade first touched the handle. Vanitas smirked.

"Well, my dear King, it seems you have improved your Keyblade's strength since we last met," Vanitas noted. "Whatever happened to your Star Seeker Keyblade? Did that key not prove to be up to the King's standards?"

"Why don't you keep your mouth shut, Vanitas?" Aqua growled. Vanitas just laughed maniacally, and was about to begin another monolouge, until Zexion fired an ice spell and hit Vanitas in the chest. Zexion shut his book with one hand, and he smiled.

"Excuse me for taking a page from Xigbar, but...you really shouldn't have betrayed us," Zexion cooly chuckled. Xigbar just clapped.

"Well, look who's becoming a man!" Xigbar laughed. Aqua, annoyed, turned her head slightly back to Xigbar.

"Silence, Braig. When Vanitas is done, you're next," Aqua growled.

"Aw, c'mon, poppet. Let bygones be bygones. After all, you did win that fight," Xigbar laughed. Vanitas just got up, his voice now distorted.

"How can any of you expect to destroy me...when you can't even trust each other!?" Vanitas growled.

"Well, why don't I answer that for you, Vanitas!?" Roxas screamed. Before Vanitas could even block the attack, Roxas jumped out from behind Lexaeus, Vexen, Zexion, and the King and sliced at Vanitas, knocking him back. Roxas held his two Keyblades in hand, before smirking.

"The other Organization Replicas combined their powers with mine. As such, you cannot defeat me," Roxas chuckled.

"What makes you think that, Ventus?" Vanitas chuckled back. Roxas's face turned serious.

"One thing: Aqua? Is this entire Vanitas-Ventus-Sora connected true?" Roxas asked.

"...yes. It is, unfortunatly," Aqua answered. Roxas just smirked then, before sticking his Oathkeeper Keyblade to the sky. Vanitas stood back, ready for what Roxas might do next.

"Fine then. Gather," Roxas demanded. Immdiately, a large magnetic orb appeared above Roxas, and everyone was immdiately, yet slowly, drawn to it out of its magnetic powers. Vanitas struck his Keyblade into the ground to keep steady, and everyone else did something similar. However, the comatose Sora immdiately was dragged towards Roxas's location, before the magnetic orb disappeared.

"What are you doing, Roxas?" DiZ asked, confused himself. Roxas just propped up Sora.

"Well, let's see if I can connect the pieces first," Roxas chuckled. "Ten years ago, Vanitas and Ventus were one, until someone released Vanitas. Aqua fought Vanitas and defeated him, but Ventus's heart was damaged and migrated to Sora. When Sora released his heart, he created me, his Nobody Roxas, as a seperate entity with a body structure similar to Ventus. Then the Organization manipulated Sora's lost memories to create Xion, whom I fell in love with."

The screen panned over to the confused faces of Aqua, DiZ, Riku-Ansem, Xigbar, and the Riku-Replica. "In the end, Xion was forced to fight me and die, and she returned her memories to Sora, while I was given the ability to use her Keyblade," Roxas continued.

The screen now was showing the confused faces of Zexion, Vexen, the King, and Lexaeus. "Therefore, I was meant to merge back with Sora intentionally so he could defeat Organization XIII. But I won the fight against Riku. And that sent everything in motion to this point in time."

The screen now rested on Vanitas's grinning and evil face. "In short, Ventus, Sora, Xion, and myself are all connected. Including Vanitas, but I beleive Ventus can live without him," Roxas said, smirking. Now Vanitas was the confused one.

"What are you suggesting?" Vanitas asked, his Keyblade in hand. Roxas just grinned, before glowing brightly.

"I think its time to release the true warrior, and defeat you," Roxas monologged, before enveloping him and Sora in a bright white light. Inside the light, Roxas and Sora were floating silently, before both of their bodies combined. While this was happening, Vexen's face lit up with realization.

"Of course! Roxas is a genius! I guess my recon training with him worked out better in the long run then I had originally thought!" Vexen chuckled.

"Huh?" Lexaeus asked.

"Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas fused to create Vanitas, Ventus's dark half! So if the true Roxas and Sora combine together, then-!" Vexen began, until the light died down. Vanitas and Aqua both gasped as they saw the being in front of them. The being was a male, and it had every single detail of Roxas's head and hair as before. However, the body's clothing was now different; the right side of the clothing was white, while the other side was black colored. The black side of the clothing had some shoulder armor that was tinted in some form of brownish-grey. The new being also had a Keyblade with a handle similar to the King's, except one of the sides turned directly into the blade itself, and the blade was reversed, forming some kind of reverse Keyblade sword with sharp, squared off edges. The being gripped his Keyblade, before opening his eyes. Smiling, the being landed on the ground, much to Vanitas's dismay.

"Ventus," Aqua breathlessly mentioned. "Is that you?"

"...no. I'm still Roxas," the being mentioned. "However, by merging with Sora, I have achieved the body of the Keyblade Master that defeated you last time. I guess I have you to thank, Vanitas, for demonstrating how to merge to me whenever Anti-Sora and Anti-Roxas fused."

"...so, you're Roxas in Ventus's body?" Vanitas asked, his voice becoming more demonic with each passing second.

"Yeah, except I can hear Ventus speaking to my own heart. He knows I can stop you. But then again, I never needed anyone to tell me that," Ventus-Roxas chuckled, before getting into Ventus's signature battling stance. Vanitas also got into his battling stance, until Roxas's Oathkeeper and Oblivion Keyblades appeared floating above Ventus-Roxas.

"Oh, and don't think I'm fighting this with just one Keyblade," Ventus-Roxas chuckled. "You. Me. One-on-one. Your dark Keyblade against my THREE Keyblades. I beleive I can kick your ass easy now."

Vanitas's face distorted into pure hatred and rage. "IMPUDENT BRAT! YOU'RE JUST A NOBODY!" Vanitas shouted, firing a dark fireball at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas merely stood there, as his Oathkeeper Keyblade, as if on auto-pilot, deflecting the fireball away.

"And this nameless Nobody is going to be the one who will destroy you," Ventus-Roxas chuckled, before charging into his fight to the death against Vanitas. Everyone watched in amazement as they both clashed, until another flash of light occured. Whenever this flash was finished, Vanitas and Ventus-Roxas were on a glass platform, with an image of Sora in one corner (surrounded by Riku, a girl with a red hair, a duck, and a dog), Ventus in the second corner (surrounded by Vanitas, Aqua, a man with brown hair, and an old man wearing a Japanese white samurai robe), Xion in the third corner (with the entire Organzation surrounding her), and finally, Roxas in the last corner, standing alone.

"This is the Station Of Awakening..." Ventus-Roxas mentioned. "This is where one of us dies forever. Prepare for the end."

"I'll be sure to mark that on your tombstone when I'm done cutting you apart," Vanitas growled, both of them prepared for their ultimate battle.

**SUMMARY**

**If Anti-Sora + Anti-Roxas = Vanitas, then that must be equal to Sora + Roxas = Ventus! Of course, Ventus's REAL body is still in Castle Oblivion, so you could say this form of Ventus is just an illusion created by Ventus's heart itself. Now onto the good stuff! WHO SHALL WIN THIS FIGHT!? Place your bets; this is the beginning of the end.**

**Also, for those who want to know where the heck Sora is right now, his memories cannot make him wake up or even help yet since Namine is controlling them, so he's still asleep...but for how long? FORESHADOWING IS EPIC! REVIEWZ NOW!**


	18. Distant Memories, Neverending Dream

**The first of the final battles! Ventus-Roxas VS. Perfect Vanitas! Prepare for the fight that will start out the end!**

_Chapter Eighteen: Distant Memories, Neverending Dream_

(You might want to start playing the final battle music between Ventus and Vanitas here for ambience.)

Ventus-Roxas and Vanitas clashed blade for blade and slice for slice at the Station of Awakening. Vanitas's growls constantly shaked the battlefield, and Ventus-Roxas's grunts filled the empty void that resembled the Station of Awakening. Vanitas growled evilly as Ventus-Roxas continued to clash with their Keyblades. As they were fighting, sparks of flame and electricity flew from their blades.

"GIVE IN, VENTUS!" Vanitas demanded.

"Well, if I gave in, it wouldn't be an interesting fight now would it?" Ventus-Roxas retorted. Vanitas growling evilly like before then continued his assault by firing dark balls of energy at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas jumped into the air and spun around each individual energy orb, until making contact with Vanitas's face with the floating Oblivion Keyblade. The Oathkeeper Keyblade then smashed into Vanitas's side, while Ventus-Roxas spun around and slammed his new Keyblade, Gentle Breeze, into Vanitas's other side, in some sort of sandwiching motion. Vanitas screamed out in pain, but Ventus-Roxas silenced him with a good old fashioned karate kick to the face. Vanitas was knocked over, some blood coming out of his nose from where Ventus-Roxas's shoe made contact. Vanitas resummoned his Keyblade and began slicing at Ventus-Roxas; Oathkeeper and Oblivion began taking most of the slices, but Ventus-Roxas still had to move to avoid being hit by the energy swaths that appeared whenever Vanitas sliced at Ventus-Roxas. Soon enough, Vanitas got a good foothold after ducking and weaving pack the autonomous Keyblades and he began slicing rapidly at Ventus-Roxas.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?" Vanitas shouted.

"Aw, is the faker gonna cry?" Ventus-Roxas mocked.

"LOOK WHO'S CALLING WHO THE FAKER!" Vanitas retorted, before slicing at Ventus-Roxas and hitting him over. Vanitas took no delay in jumping over to Ventus-Roxas and beginning to slash at him while he was down. Ventus-Roxas managed to block one attack with Gentle Breeze, but Vanitas knocked it out of his hands as soon as he brought it up. Vanitas brought down the blade of his Keyblade upon Ventus-Roxas to kill him, until Oblivion and Oathkeeper stabbed Vanitas in the back automatically. Taking advantage of the stunned Vanitas, Ventus-Roxas shoved Vanitas off of him and got free. Sending Oblivion and Oathkeeper after Vanitas to keep him busy temporarily, Ventus-Roxas resummoned Gentle Breeze and healed himself from the wounds he received from Vanitas's suprisingly powerful attacks. Vanitas blasted away both Oblivion and Oathkeeper, before returning to attack Ventus-Roxas.

"Perish now!" Vanitas demonically shouted, before shooting a large column of flames at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas rolled out of the way in a diagonal angle that put him next to a suprised Vanitas; Ventus-Roxas then slammed Gentle Breeze into Vanitas's side, effectively injuring him. Vanitas flew backwards into Oblivion and Oathkeeper, with both of them slicing at Vanitas mecilessly. Vanitas covered himself in his dark orb, until he began sending out more shadow clones of himself out to attack Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas rolled out of the way of the first shadow clone, and he began to run at high speeds to escape the shadow clone's attacks. Soon enough, Vanitas came out ready to strike; Ventus-Roxas had expected this, and he had mentally moved Oblivion and Oathkeeper in front of Vanitas's dark orb. Vanitas slammed into the two Keyblades, and slid by accident, tumbling over and ineffectively rolling towards Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas, grinning, gripped Gentle Breeze and sliced upwards, sending Vanitas sprawling. Vanitas was about to slam into the ground, but he immdiately turned into a black/blood-red shadow and began pursuing Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas, suprised, began running, until Vanitas jumped out and fired many powerful fire spells at Ventus-Roxas, hitting him nearly over the edge of the Station. Ventus-Roxas got back up, growling.

"Why don't you quit!?" Ventus-Roxas shouted, grasping Gentle Breeze and again charging at Vanitas. Vanitas grinned maleovantly, before casting a Reflect spell on himself. Ventus-Roxas, too late to stop his attack, slammed into the Reflect field and was shot back with triple the amount of damage he would've dealt; Ventus-Roxas silently thanked himself for using a weak attack. Vanitas chuckled, before getting his own dark Keyblade ready.

"So, Ventus, are you almost done?" Vanitas taunted. Ventus-Roxas then got Gentle Breeze and charged at Vanitas. Vanitas, being arrogant as usual, got ready to deflect the attack, until Ventus-Roxas moved his index fingers back towards him. Vanitas, confused by this, suddenly realized what Ventus-Roxas was doing whenever Oathkeeper and Oblivion both embedded themselves in Vanitas's back. Ventus-Roxas slammed Vanitas with a powerful slash attack, sending Vanitas flying. Oathkeeper and Oblivion both removed themselves from Vanitas's body, and they began lazily floating in the air as Vanitas stood up. Vanitas, growling, turned to face Ventus-Roxas.

"That's it," Vanitas growled, before charging again. Ventus-Roxas got Gentle Breeze ready, as Vanitas sliced downwards at Ventus-Roxas. Vanitas began slashing rapidly, but Ventus-Roxas continued blocking using Gentle Breeze...until Ventus-Roxas got tired and put one knee on the ground out of loss of strength. Vanitas took this opportunity and slashed horizontally, knocking Gentle Breeze out of Ventus-Roxas's hands. Before Ventus-Roxas could resummon it, Vanitas kicked him in the chest, knocking Ventus-Roxas over onto his back. Vanitas then stepped directly on his chest, grinning maliciously.

"Looks like I win. You really think you could stop me twice?" Vanitas growled, licking his lips as he said so. Ventus-Roxas just moved his fingers and made Oblivion and Oathkeeper come charging down towards Vanitas. Vanitas jumped into the air at the last moment, sending Oathkeeper and Oblivion into Ventus-Roxas's sides instead of Vanitas. Ventus-Roxas shouted out in pain, but Vanitas then slammed his foot into Ventus-Roxas's stomach, blowing the wind out of him.

"Shhh....it's almost over..." Vantias chuckled darkly, as he got his own Keyblade ready to end the fight.

* * *

Back at The World That Never Was, as soon as the flash of light subsided, everyone stood there, confused on the matter. Aqua and the King looked around for Ventus-Roxas and Vanitas, but saw no sign of them.

"Where did they go?" Xigbar asked.

"Never mind that!" Lexaeus shouted. "We have to stop Namine!"

"Fools..." Namine whimpered. "...no one will stop me...from achieving my goals..."

At that moment, Namine, having apparently absorbed 90 percent of Kingdom Hearts, floated down to everyone. Namine's purplish hair and strange symbol under her left eye was unchanged; however, her dress was both purple-and-black instead of white, and she had a pen instead of a pencil in her hand.

"Well, we'll see about that," Riku-Replica growled, before running towards Namine. Namine just put her pen to the notebook, and scribbled down something quickly. In that instant, the Riku-Replica stopped in mid-stride, and fell over. Riku-Ansem gasped as he saw this; Riku-Replica was lying on the ground, as if he was suddenly killed on the spot.

"You were created...from me...therefore...I know how to break you...Replica..." Namine growled. "You were always...a toy...no matter what..."

Riku-Ansem then continued the charge and tried to slice at Namine, but Namine disappeared and reappeared behind everyone. Writing again, Riku-Ansem began gripping his own head, before Riku-Ansem fell over. Riku-Ansem lied on the ground, until a dark shadow appeared around him. Namine continued writing in her notebook, until the body on the ground was just Riku's body, with the Ansem transformation gone. Namine smiled.

"Congratulations, Riku. You've beaten the darkness. Now you can't use it ever again. Do you thank me?" Namine taunted. Lexaeus then ran forward, gripping his axe sword as tight as he could grasp it.

"DIE, WITCH!" Lexaeus screamed. Namine just wrote some more in her notebook, and as Lexaeus jumped upwards to smash Namine's head in, Namine's pen turned directly into a sword. Using that, Namine sliced through Lexaeus in one swift blow. Lexaeus didn't have time to scream out as he disentegrated painfully from the slice. Everyone gasped as they saw this. Namine chuckled.

"I beleive I have a strange feeling of deja vu..." Namine sighed. Vexen just snapped his fingers, and several ice crystals surrounded Namine.

"And I also beleive that you're just an experiment!" Vexen growled, before snapping his fingers again. The ice crystals then collapsed and encased Namine in a solid block of ice. Vexen grinned, until a ring of light appeared around Vexen. Before Vexen could do anything, the ring of light shrunk and trapped Vexen quickly, while the ice began to crack.

"You will not stop me," Namine stated, before breaking free of the ice.

"B-but you're just an experiment!" Vexen stuttered.

"...an experiment that's gone out of your control," Namine stated, before snapping her own fingers. Immdiately, the ring of light cut through Vexen and killed him as well. As Vexen faded away, he shuddered; he remembered last time he was killed, Axel had done something oh so similar with his chakrams. Whenever Vexen disappeared, Xigbar and Zexion looked at each other, then at Namine.

"This is bad..." Zexion uttered.

"That's the understatement of the century," Xigbar noted.

* * *

Vanitas and Ventus-Roxas collided with their Keyblades again, with Oblivion and Oathkeeper slicing at Vanitas from behind them. Vanitas growled, before sinking into the same shadow as before. This time, Ventus-Roxas did something different as he instead threw his Keyblades downwards and slammed all three blades into the shadow. The Keyblades sunk into the shade and knocked Vanitas out of the shadow, before Ventus-Roxas slammed his entire body against Vanitas to pin him against the floor. Vanitas smirked again, before sinking back into the shadow and immdiately jumping back out to attack. Ventus-Roxas was took by suprise and he was thrown back into the ground. Vanitas began attacking Ventus-Roxas using his dark Keyblade, but Oblivion and Oathkeeper got in the way as Ventus-Roxas regained balance. Vanitas jumped backwards and Ventus-Roxas regained his footing; now they were both standing on seperate side of the Station of Awakening. Both of them were visibly tired, as shown by their heavy breaths.

"Well...well...well...you truly have improved your power since we last fought here, Ventus..." Vanitas growled.

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm not Ventus!?" Ventus-Roxas shouted. "This may be his body, but its still me here!"

Vanitas just laughed evilly. "You sure about that? You're a Nobody," Vanitas insulted. Ventus-Roxas just grinned.

"Yet I'm more real than you," Ventus-Roxas chuckled. Vanitas charged directly at Ventus-Roxas, before trying to kill him with his lone Keyblade; Ventus-Roxas just used both Oblivion and Oathkeeper to hold him back.

"You will fall Ventus! I destroyed you 11 years ago! I can do it again!" Vanitas growled. Ventus-Roxas just stood there, using his power to deflect Vanitas, until he heard her voice again.

Xion's voice.

"_Is it that I'm not supposed to exist?" _Xion's voice asked. Then Ventus-Roxas heard Axel's own voice.

"_We're friends. Got it memorized?" _Axel's voice reminded.

"Axel...Xion...we're best friends and I won't let you come between us!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, getting Gentle Breeze and beginning to counter against Vanitas, much to his suprise. "I WILL FREE KINGDOM HEARTS! THAT'S A PROMISE!"

In that exact moment, Ventus-Roxas unleashed a powerful burst of light, knocking Vanitas backwards and making him slam on the ground. Whenever Vanitas got back up, all he saw was Ventus-Roxas floating in front of him, glowing with a bright internal light. Ventus-Roxas opened his eyes and looked down upon Vanitas, before smirking. Ventus-Roxas then got Oblivion and Oathkeeper and held them in both hands, smirking. Gentle Breeze floated in front of Ventus-Roxas, until Ventus-Roxas slammed Oblivion and Oathkeeper into Gentle Breeze. At that moment, a large flash of light engulfed both Vanitas and Ventus-Roxas in the Station of Awakening.

* * *

Back at The World That Never Was, Xigbar was shooting several energy arrows at Namine while Aqua fired fireballs from her own Keyblade at Namine. However, this proved to be ineffective as Namine's constant scribbling in her notebook nullified all the attacks easily. The King also jumped forward and tried to slice at Namine, until Namine scribbled a bit more in her notebook. Immediately, the King was blasted backwards; Zexion got his lexicon ready and opened it, ready to unleash his maximum power to stop Namine. Namine got her notebook ready to fight against Zexion's lexicon; both of them then shot an ethereal energy beam from both of their notebooks that began forcing themselves back and forth like crazy. During this assault, Namine's ethereal beam broke through, and Zexion was blasted backwards. Namine then shot a dark energy blast at Zexion, smiling as she did so.

"Yo, back off, witch!" Xigbar shouted, before jumping in front of the energy ball. Xigbar then combined his arrowguns to form his sniper rifle gun, and he shot a large energy arrow at the energy ball. The arrow broke through the energy ball, but the ball exploded and sent minature energy balls directly at them. Xigbar had no chance as the energy balls slammed into him multiple times, knocking him over and heavily injuring him. Xigbar got back up, injured and a bit dazed. Aqua took the opportunity to charge directly at Namine and try to end this conflict now. However, the unsmiling Namine just slapped away Aqua using her notebook; suprisingly, the notebook was hard enough to smash Aqua into the ground. Aqua laid there, about to get up, whenever Namine used her notebook to make energy coils to bound Aqua down to the pavement. Namine floated in place, unmoving, until she moved her hand forwards. Immdiately, a medium-sized dark orb appeared in the palm of her hand. Aqua gasped as she saw this.

"Goodnight," Namine spat with disdain. Namine fired the dark energy orb at Aqua...until Xigbar jumped in the way and took the entire brunt of the hit. Aqua, gasping, saw Xigbar take the brunt of the attack. Namine was a bit suprised, but she didn't show it; after all, she was a Nobody. Xigbar stood there, breathing deeply.

"...Braig...why did you...?" Aqua asked. Xigbar just chuckled, before beginning to fade away.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Xigbar chuckled, before fading away completely. Namine just floated there, the coils still bounding Aqua to the ground. Namine just began charging the medium-sized dark ball to attack.

"Namine, stop this!" the King shouted.

"Namine! Cease and desist right now!" DiZ ordered.

"...I do not take orders from anyone," Namine growled.

"Oh, that's it!" Zexion growled. Zexion got out his lexicon and charged up the lexicon itself, until Zexion's eyes began glowing a deep purple. Namine fired her dark orb at Aqua, and then Zexion countered with his own dark ethereal orb that broke through and slammed into Namine. Zexion chuckled, until Namine fired a dark ethereal beam at Zexion. Zexion stood there, suprised without end, as the beam got closer to penetraiting and kill him...until DiZ jumped in the way.

"DiZ!" the King shouted. DiZ was hit the the ethereal beam, and was knocked into the concrete wall above Zexion. Zexion moved out of the way, and DiZ fell onto the ground; his armor was burned where the beam hit. DiZ laid there, his eye twitching in pain. The King ran over to Zexion and DiZ, suprised. DiZ, in pain, turned his head towards Zexion and the King.

"...I...am sorry...for the trouble I've caused..." DiZ began. "...this is all...my own fault..."

"DiZ, this can't be your fault. It just can't," the King began.

"...remove my facial ba...bandages..." DiZ asked. Zexion and the King did so carefully, and whenever the bandages were all removed, DiZ and Zexion dropped their jaws in suprise. Underneath the facial banadages was a visibly middle-aged man with blonde hair and a Van Dyke beard. Because of his older age, his pale face was obviously stretched in some places. Of course, the King and Zexion were gaping whenever they saw this.

"Ansem...? You're DiZ!?" the King shouted.

"...yes..." Ansem answered. "I...am...sorry for mainpulating...you all..."

"Manipulated?" the King asked.

"...I forced you...and Riku down this...path...because I wanted revenge against...Organization XIII..." Ansem began to explain. "But now...my revenge has caused...our end..."

"Oh, it has definitely caused your end, Ansem," Namine growled. "You took too much prejudice against me, and now I will make you pay."

"...just...get Ienzo...to safety..." Ansem continued. Zexion just looked confused, yet he also felt a sense of nostalga; a sense he didn't want to try and feel again.

"Ienzo? You mean Zexion here?" the King asked.

"Get him...to a safe world..." Ansem pleaded. "He...was the closest thing...I had to a son...before this...madness began..."

The King was suprised; Ansem had a kid of his own? "Zexion is your son?" the King asked.

"No. His...parents died before...all of this..." Ansem revealed. "I took...him under...my wing and raised him...like my own..."

"...Dad...why didn't you tell me...?" Zexion asked.

"Why did you...abandon me?" Ansem asked back. A couple moments of silence followed after that.

"Xemnas told me...that you didn't want me anymore because of our experiments into the heart..." Zexion stated, feeling strangely sad. "He never told me..."

Ansem then did something he never thought he'd do in his life since his dejection into darkness; he shed a tear for a Nobody. "Xe...hanort...he betrayed...us both..." Ansem managed to utter. The King just got his Keyblade ready to heal Ansem, until a thin white field appeared around Ansem. Zexion and the King turned around to see Namine, continuing to scribble on his notebook.

"Shut up you old man. You hate Nobodies. You always will," Namine growled. Zexion then felt something he never felt in a long time; a burning rage and hatred for someone, despite him being a Nobody.

"Ienzo..." Ansem managed to croak. Zexion turned back, suprised. "...be a good...boy...and tell Sora, Riku...and Roxas...I am sorry..."

With that last sentence, Ansem laid his head down and closed his eyes forever. Because of the white energy field surrounding Ansem, the King couldn't use any Cure spells to heal him, Ansem laid there, dead, with no chance of revival. Zexion released a small gasp of realization as soon as this happened.

"Dad..." Zexion uttered, a lone tear falling from his face. Namine, still floating, grunted in disgust.

"How dare you show emotion for someone who tried to kill you. It's a disgrace," Namine growled. Zexion then turned around, before shouting in anger.

"SHUT THE HELL UP, WITCH!" Zexion screamed, before firing a large ethereal beam at Namine. As that happened, Namine also fired her own ethereal beam, blasting Zexion back again.

"You cannot win," Namine stated. The King stepped inbetween Zexion and Namine, and took note of everything else. Aqua was tied down. Ansem was dead. Zexion was injured. Namine was insane. Riku was out cold. The Riku-Replica's mind was shattered, and was now a literal puppet with its strings cut off. But as all seemed lost, a flash appeared and Vanitas fell out, injured. Namine was suprised by this development.

"Vantias? Where did you go?" Namine wondered. This was answered whenever Ventus-Roxas appeared, floating in the sky gracefully. Aqua gasped as she saw this, and she stared at Ventus-Roxas.

"Roxas?" Aqua asked. Ventus-Roxas just grinned, before summoning a large Keyblade in his hands. Vanitas, upon seeing this Keyblade, screamed out in shock.

"**NO! IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!**" Vanitas screamed. Even Namine was impressed, yet fearful. The King, Zexion, and Aqua looked on, suprised, as they saw Ventus-Roxas wielding a strange-looking Keyblade. The Keyblade Ventus-Roxas held looked like a cross of two normal Keyblades in an "X-style" formation. There was a strange, pointed, bluish-yellow half-circle shape around where the two blades crossed; it vaguely reminded everyone of a shining diamond and also of galactic stardust, to narrow it down. At the other side of the strange Keyblade was a bluish-yellow, glowing, and pointed blade that actually looked like a blade you'd find on a typical longsword. There were two chains at the end of both of the crossing Keyblades, that formed into one chain and led to a symbol that was two crossing Keyblades upon a red background. Ventus-Roxas held this Keyblade in both of his hands, in a holding position that made him look like he was an angel. Ventus-Roxas opened his sea blue eyes, and smirked. Vanitas stepped backwards, suprised beyond belief. Even the King and Aqua were gaping.

"NO! I'M SUPPOSED TO WEILD THAT KEYBLADE! NOT YOU!" Vanitas screamed.

"Is that...is it really...?" Aqua asked.

"The X-Blade. The most powerful Keyblade in existance," the King exclaimed breathlessly. Zexion turned to the King, confused.

"But I thought the rumored Ultima Weapon was the most powerful Keyblade?" Zexion asked.

"That's the most powerful Keyblade that is destined to MERGE with Kingdom Hearts...but the X-Blade..." the King stated. "...it's meant to exist ALONGSIDE Kingdom Hearts. It's literally the Keyblade of Kingdom Hearts itself!"

"ROXAS!" Aqua shouted with a renewed vigor. "YOU CAN STOP THIS! PUT ALL YOUR POWER INTO YOUR VALOR!"

"_GET READY, ROXAS!" _Xion's voice echoed in his memory; Ventus-Roxas had remembered what Xion had said in the past moments before she unleashed her most powerful attack on him whenever Xemnas had forced them to battle. Ventus-Roxas smirked, before getting the X-Blade ready for battle.

"Kingdom Hearts will be set free. That is Xion's wish, and it is my destiny!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, before charging directly at Vanitas and Namine. Namine flew into the air quickly.

"VANITAS! Finish him or I'll kill you myself!" Namine ordered, as she began to continue merging with Kingdom Hearts's essence. Zexion ran up to Aqua and used his lexicon to eliminate the coils holding Aqua back. Aqua rubbed her wrists to continue the circulation, and she got her Keyblade and began running towards Vanitas alongside Zexion and the King.

"For light!" the King shouted.

"For Ansem!" Zexion also shouted.

"For Kingdom Hearts!" Aqua yelled.

"FOR XION!" Ventus-Roxas bellowed, before the four of them charged at Vanitas for the final battle against him, before moving onto the big baddie herself: Namine.

**Didn't see THAT coming, did ya? Did ya? Did ya? REVIEW.**


	19. Deep Dive

**VEGETA, WHAT DOES THE SCOUTER SAY ABOUT THIS STORY'S HIT LEVEL!?**

**It's over NINE THOUSSSSSSSAND!**

**WHAT NINE THOUSAND!?**

**Thank you all for making this my biggest story yet! The second battle against Vanitas, before the final fight against Namine! We're nearing the end here people!**

**Before we begin, just one thing I'd like to point out: remember the first chapter and the first reviews? Everything seemed oh so straightforward. Just have Roxas go in and beat the crap out of Organization XIII right? Now tell me that isn't nostalgia. For me, reading those first couple of reviews was a breath of fresh air. Memories...oh and to answer your "what now?" khfangirl, why don't you read on and find out yourself? CAUSE NOW...THE FINAL BATTLE BEGINS!**

_Chapter Nineteen: Deep Dive_

Ventus-Roxas slammed the X-Blade into Vanitas's side, flipping him into the air. Vantias was then smacked into the ground by Aqua, before Aqua shot an electrical blast into the air. Several electric mines appeared around Vanitas, and then the King kicked Vanitas into the mines. Several explosions occured as Vanitas was blown back by the electrical mines, and Zexion began firing several spells out of his lexicon, hitting into Vanitas. Vanitas managed to flip back onto his feet until the King and Aqua double-teamed Vanitas and knocked him around like a ping-pong ball, until Vanitas encased himself in his dark sphere. Vanitas summoned his shadow clones to attack, but Ventus-Roxas sliced through each and every one of them with his X-Blade. Vanitas continued sending out more shadow clones, until Ventus-Roxas sliced through the dark orb with his X-Blade. Vanitas fell out, injured, and Aqua began attacking Vanitas mercilessly. Vanitas sunk into the grounds as a shadow, but Zexion used his lexicon to force Vanitas out of the ground. Vanitas blasted into the air, and was subsequently attacked by the King in mid-air. Vanitas was beat up mercilessly, and Ventus-Roxas then slammed the X-Blade into Vanitas, blowing him to the ground. Vanitas lied on the ground, trying to get up; Zexion, Ventus-Roxas, the King, and Aqua all surrounded Vanitas in a diamond-like shape, if you looked at them from a bird's eye view.

"So, what should we use to finish him off?" Aqua sarcastically asked, deflecting one of Vanitas's charging attacks as she said so. Vanitas flipped back onto his feet, growling.

"I dunno. Maybe we could heat things up?" the King half-heartedly joked, also deflecting another of Vanitas's attacks.

"Or we could freeze him solid? Or give him a shock into submission?" Zexion noted, using his lexicon to blast back a charging Vanitas. Ventus-Roxas stood there, impassive, until he smirked himself.

"Or...we could bathe him in the light," Ventus-Roxas chuckled. Vanitas tried to slice at Ventus-Roxas, but Ventus-Roxas deflected the attack. "ZEXION, HOLD HIM DOWN!"

Zexion opened his lexicon and immdiately shout out two dark tendrils that captured Vanitas and held him in mid-air. Ventus-Roxas smiled, before pointing the X-Blade at him. The KIng and Aqua saw this, and they also held up their own Keyblades. Whenever they did so, all of their Keyblades began glowing radiantly, until a circle of light appeared over all three of them. Vanitas's eyes widened as the circles closed around the Keyblades, shooting out three beams of light at Vanitas. Vanitas was impaled in three seperate directions by the beams of light, all of them going through the chest. Vanitas shuddered a bit, before his essence began to fade away. Soon enough, Vanitas shattered completely, remnants of his dark soul flittering away into the sky as fading orbs of black energy. Ventus-Roxas smiled as soon as this happened.

"We did it!" Ventus-Roxas shouted. Before long, however, the entire ground began quaking.

"Don't count on it," Zexion noted, looking upwards and pointing to Namine. Everyone looked up and saw Namine still floating in the sky, with the last dozens of hearts fusing into her well-being.

"Hearts full of emotion...hearts that give us power...please, heed my call!" Namine preached, the hearts continuing to be absorbed by her power.

"Namine! Stop!" Ventus-Roxas shouted.

"Give me the strength I need...to wipe darkness from the worlds!" Namine shouted.

"You won't win, Namine!" Zexion screamed.

"Give me the power I desire to finish the deeds of darkness done by people with hearts!" Namine continued.

"Give up!" Aqua shouted. All this proved to be to no avail, as the remnants of Kingdom Hearts fused with Namine's being; Namine was now 100 percent merged with Kingdom Hearts itself. The power, however, was too great, and a giant flash occured. Whenever the light died down, everyone was staring at a large door in front of the Memory's Skyscraper. The door was a greyish-white, and stood tall; the Nobody insignia was standing tall at the top of the door. Everyone stared at the door, before taking a final look around them. The only signs of life were from Riku, who was only breathing a bit, despite his knocked out stature. Everyone else was either dead, faded away, or in the Riku-Replica's case, shattered metaphysically. Zexion took note of this, before opening a dark portal behind him.

"Aqua. We should get Riku and return him home to the Destiny Islands," Zexion noted. "This place is too dangerous for him."

"Yes. But we can't just leave Roxas here to face Namine alone..." Aqua noted. The King then walked up in front of everyone.

"The worlds gave us this door to help finish our battle. We shouldn't pass up this opportunity. But Zexion is right..." the King sighed. Ventus-Roxas just stood there, until stepping in front of everyone.

"Aqua. King. Zexion. Take Riku and go to the Destiny Islands. I will face this final fight alone," Ventus-Roxas demanded. Aqua, scared, walked forwards.

"Alone!? She'll destroy you alone!" Aqua shouted.

"...physically, I'm alone. But not in my heart," Ventus-Roxas sighed. Ventus-Roxas put his hand over his heart, smiling.

(Cue Ventus's Theme from Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep.)

"I'm made up of several beings in my heart," Ventus-Roxas began. "Those Organization Replicas...I'm made of them. Sora, my original being, is also a part of me. Xion is a part of me too...and I have taken the form of the lost Keyblade warrior Ventus, in order to combat this threat to the worlds."

"Roxas..." Aqua sighed.

"If I should exert all my power into this final battle, the Nobody part of me--aka my Roxas persona--will fade away and die out," Ventus-Roxas began. "But I'm willing to take that risk, if it means setting Kingdom Hearts free."

"Are you sure you want to do this Roxas?" the King nervously asked.

"Yes," Ventus-Roxas answered immdiately. "I made a promise..."

Ventus-Roxas then pulled out of his pocket the seashell Xion left behind when she faded away in Twilight Town; looking back on that now, Ventus-Roxas felt some sense of euphoria. He was close to finishing his mission...

"I made a promise to Xion that the three of us--me, her, and Axel--would eat ice cream again," Ventus-Roxas continued. "I see now what we promised was that we'd meet each other again and spend our time in the next world enjoying ourselfs as friends. If I fade...Sora will take over, and this Ventus body will disappear and be replaced with Sora's body. When that happens, I will have merged with him, and he can finally wake up."

Silence was the only sound in that plaza at the base of the Memory's Skyscraper as soon as Ventus-Roxas finished that monolouge. "...be careful, Roxas," Aqua began, a tear forming in her left eye. "And if you do vanish...thank you."

"...you're welcome, Aqua. I'm sure Ventus would say the same thing..." Ventus-Roxas answered. "Now go! This battle must be finished...now."

Aqua just gave Ventus-Roxas a light hug; to Aqua, it was like seeing an old friend she'd be searching for so long having to leave just as soon as she found him. But Aqua understood. This had to be done; besides, Ventus's real physical body still lied in peace at Castle Oblivion. This Ventus was just an illusion created from Roxas and Sora's fusion together. As Ventus-Roxas also embraced Aqua in a good-bye hug, he had a small vision of Xion hugging him that one day after their first actual kiss. This was enough to bring a tear to Ventus-Roxas's right eye, even though it probably was just a fake emoion created by his own memories. Regardless, Aqua pulled away from the hug, and Zexion nodded his own head.

"Be careful, Roxas. I must say...you've applied yourself to probably be the hero of the universe," Zexion joked, trying to lighten the mood. The King walked forwards, trying to hold up Riku; because of the height differentials, Riku's majority of his body was dragging along the ground. Ventus-Roxas smiled at Zexion.

"And you've applied yourself to be probably the only Organization member I've seen that really does have feelings...y'know, other than Axel and Xion," Ventus-Roxas complimented. Zexion smirked; not the best compliment, but he'd take it. The King walked up to the front of the portal, before turning back one last time.

"I'm going to stop at Twilight Town and pick up Donald and Goofy," the King mentioned. "So...if you don't fade and come to the Destiny Islands, then...those'll be the two newbies you'll see with us."

"Give them my regards, please," Ventus-Roxas asked. The King just nodded, before smiling.

"Do your best, Roxas. It's your story now," the King noted, before walking into the dark portal with the unconscious Riku. Zexion also walked in, having nothing more to say to Ventus-Roxas. Aqua headed over to the portal, but turned back smiling.

"Show them what you've got...Ventus," Aqua smiled. Ventus-Roxas stood there, before smiling.

"I will," Ventus-Roxas answered, nodding his head as he did so. Aqua also walked into the portal, before the dark portal shut immdiately. Ventus-Roxas turned around to face the large door leading to Namine; reflecting back on his past here, Ventus-Roxas remembered how he had started out his mission alone...in a way. Now he was going to end that mission, the same way he started it: alone, yet still with friends in his heart. Ventus-Roxas smiled; he knew now he truly did have it heart...it just belonged to Sora. Ventus-Roxas stuck the X-Blade into the air, before the beam of light appeared again. The beam of light shot into the sky, and the doors leading to Namine opened.

"Get ready, Namine. It all ends here!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, ready to accept his fate. Ventus-Roxas then walked directly into the doors leading to Namine, leaving behind him a story of twisted truths and malignant lies, leaving behind traitorism and shattered emotions, and truly leaving behind this dead world known as The World That Never Was. Ventus-Roxas was heading towards his story's finale as the doors he just opened shut behind him slowly.

He was heading for the final battle.

For True Story.

* * *

Ventus-Roxas had shut his eyes while walking within the corridor he had entered. The light had been painfully bright for his eyes, so in order to cope he kept his eyes shut as he walked forward; perhaps it was being in the dark world of The World That Never Was for so long caused his retinal vision to become a bit dulled. Soon enough, Ventus-Roxas began to slightly open his eyes to adjust them to the blinding light. As Ventus-Roxas's eyes finally adjusted, he saw himself in a strange-looking area. There didn't seem to be any specified walls, ceilings, or floors here; it was just an empty void. Around him, in areas seemingly far away from his position, were swirling portals with large orbs of light in the center. There were mixes of light and darkness within the entire area, although the color of the area he was in was white-dominant. While he looked around, Namine's voice resonated throughout the empty void.

"You have arrived," Namine said with no emotion. Ventus-Roxas turned around and saw Namine floating on the other side of the void, about a couple feet away from him. She had on a black dress with white streaks upon it; Ventus-Roxas knew that signaled light and darkness. Her hair was still a deep velvety purple, and she had that strange marking below her eyes still; Ventus-Roxas took a closer look at it, and he knew now that the mark was the mark of the Universed.

"Why Namine? Why'd you do it?" Ventus-Roxas pleaded.

"I did this so I could rid the worlds of all darkness. So that no one would ever have to be tortured again by misdemeandors of selfish people, consumed by hate and greed," Namine answered.

"It's impossible to destroy all darkness, Namine," Ventus-Roxas explained. "The only way to assure the destruction of darkness is to kill the light as well, and that is just me simply stating the obvious."

"Light used to exist in peace before darkness came into power," Namine pointed out.

"Yet darkness was born from that light," Ventus-Roxas retorted. "Namine, face it. This plan is corrupt and stupid."

"...what is stupid is allowing myself to still have feelinfs for a Nobody," Namine growled, getting her notebook ready. "Begone."

Ventus-Roxas's eyes widened; he had forgotten about Namine's notebook! Namine lowered her pen to write something that would eliminate Ventus-Roxas permanently, but as soon as she touched the pen to the paper and began writing, the ink on the paper began to disappear.

"Hmm? Why isn't it sticking?" Namine asked. Namine scribbled harder, trying to write down a command for her notebook to undertake. Still, the notebook's pages would not suppress the ink. Namine stared at the notebook in contempt, until all of the ink Namine wasted formed into a person on the front of her notebook. The ink Namine wasted took the form of an Organization XIII members with short, black hair and a girlish figure.

"Xion? Is that you?" Namine wondered. "How did you get into my notebook?"

"Xion?" Ventus-Roxas gasped, suprised.

"Namine!" Xion shouted. "I may not have a physical body anymore, but I am made of memories! And I won't let you destroy Roxas!"

"Why didn't you stop me from destroying the others then?" Namine retorted, a smirk coming across her twisted face. The Xion on the notebook paper just flipped her hair.

"Because we weren't in Kingdom Hearts. Now that we are inside the remnants of the entity you've absorbed, which is also the place where I rest nowadays...I can make sure your plan doesn't work!" Xion shouted. Namine, growling in anger, tried to rip up the notebook, but thanks to Xion's possession of it, the notebook flew out of her reach. Before Namine coudl get to it, Ventus-Roxas jumped in front of them two and sliced her hand away, creating a cut on Namine's hand. Namine pulled her hand back and snarled at Ventus-Roxas, who held the X-Blade steady and sure.

"It ends here. NOW," Ventus-Roxas growled, getting ready for the final battle that would decide the fate of all worlds. Ventus-Roxas knew what the price was if he fell: he remembered the kind Genie in Agrabah, the beast who wanted love in Beast's Castle, the kids who ate ice cream in Twilight Town, the annoying (but still young) pranksters of Halloween Town, and the faithful trainer Phil back at Olympus Coliseum. He couldn't let any of them perish because of the Organization's and DiZ's misleadings.

"Fine then. Prepare yourself..." Namine warned in a no-nonsense and emotionless tone as she got ready herself for the final battle.

**This is awesome isn't it? I know the Vanitas battle was short, but what did you expect after Vanitas was horribly beaten and then ganged up on by four VERY angry protagonists? Or in Zexion's case...neutral...ist...whatever it's called! REVIEW! Because now we have only three chapters remaining.**


	20. Darkness Of The Unknown

**This chapter contains excessive amounts of fighting. This shall be the final boss, per se, of Kingdom Hearts: For True Story.**

**Before we begin, did you know that I got the title "For True Story" from Sonic Adventure 2: Battle? That's what the fight music at the second Sonic VS. Shadow fight is called! With that boring filler out of the way...let us see what comes now.**

_Chapter Twenty: Darkness Of The Unknown_

Chaos in the realm of nothing. Ventus-Roxas didn't know it could be managed, yet it had been managed past his own knowledge. Namine was shooting dark thorns out of her hands, firing the grey, spined arrows in all directions. Ventus-Roxas spun as fast as he could to dodge the thorns, making sure to avoid getting injured. This fight was one-on-one truly; no backup, no magic tricks, no nothing; well, that last one is debatable. Namine continued firing dark thorns at Ventus-Roxas, creating a dangerous spiny entangling web in the vast majority of the arena. Ventus-Roxas weaved through the web, using his X-Blade to deflect some thorns back at Namine herself. Namine's notebook, still possessed by Xion, flapped around rapidly, trying to avoid getting ripped apart by the thorns. Namine wasn't concerned with the Xion-Notebook as of right now; Ventus-Roxas was more of a priority to her.

"Why, Roxas? Why do you despise my plan?" Namine asked.

"Your plan will end up destroying everything!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, avoiding more thorn attacks as he said so.

"Memories are eternal Roxas. Even if my body perishes, my memories will not," Namine explained, in a calm, soothing, and eerily dark tone of voice that just exuded the nothingness of a Nobody.

"Memories may be eternal, but that doesn't mean you're eternal!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, finding an opening in Namine's thorn attacks and getting up close to her. "Your selfishness will end all we know, Namine! Please stop!"

Namine just grabbed the X-Blade and flung it and Ventus-Roxas over her shoulder. "Selfishness? You mean selfLESSness. I am doing the right thing, expunging the darkness from all worlds..." Namine monolouged. Ventus-Roxas flipped back onto his feet, only to be greeted by a continued assault of thorns from Namine's hand. Ventus-Roxas was blasted back, and got dizzy from not knowing which way was up and which way was down; this was because of the world's non-specified floor. Namine threw more thorns at Ventus-Roxas, but Ventus-Roxas just deflected them with the X-Blade. Regardless, the strength of the attack threw Ventus-Roxas backwards.

"It's impossible to destroy all darkness! There will always be a tiny bit remaining always! You just have to accept that!" Ventus-Roxas screamed, shooting several fireballs out of the X-Blade as he did so. Namine just waved her hand in a horizontal motion and shot out fireballs to counter Ventus-Roxas's own attack.

"Then I will remake the worlds in an image branded from memories of light, where darkness shall never appear..." Namine growled. "Wouldn't that be a dream?"

"A dream for who!? If you destroy everything, there will be nothing left to enjoy the universe!" Ventus-Roxas screamed, before being blasted backwards by several more thorn attacks. Ventus-Roxas got up and deflected back another fireball shot at him by Namine, before firing his own fireball attacks at Namine. Namine just dodged the attacks swiftly, before shooting various flurries of ice and bolts of lightning at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas spun into the air, deflecting each and every magic attack with a flip of the X-Blade. Namine was hit by several blizzard spells, before shooting various blasts of all types of magic at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas felt his feet get pulled directly into the ground, the omniscient result of Gravity magic; Ventus-Roxas also saw Namine drifting towarfds the ground as well, and the Xion-Notebook was having a harder time flopping around, trying to find some way to be useful. Ventus-Roxas also felt a strange sensation pulling him backwards; Ventus-Roxas ran with all his might forwards to avoid the Magnet spell that he KNEW was pulling him back. Several powerful Fire spells began crackling and exploding around Ventus-Roxas's feet, with shards of lightning and plumes of ice coming at him from behind. Ventus-Roxas danced around like his life depended on it; technically, it did. The constant Fire spells made it impossible for Ventus-Roxas to simply run, let alone approach Namine. The lightning bolts struck the ground at such a high rate of speed that the bolts remaining solid as a physical presence for five seconds before they disappeared, and the ice plumes created a sort of frozen web of integrated magic spells that was making it increasingly difficult for Ventus-Roxas to get around; at that moment, Ventus-Roxas realized that Namine was just using this as a chance to make a shield around herself made of out ice! Ventus-Roxas then cast an Aero spell on himself, shooting him high into the sky, before turning around and charging down on Namine. Namine looked upwards, and shot out dark thorns mixed with magic to create flaming tendrils, freezing spears, and electrical bolts. Ventus-Roxas dodged most of these attacks by using the X-Blade to put up a Reflect sheild; the attacks were so rapid and successive that Ventus-Roxas was forced to keep the Reflect shield up longer than he had anticipated. Ventus-Roxas tried to slice at Namine, but Namine jumped backwards out of Ventus-Roxas's reach...only to be damagged badly by the Reflect shield's ability to reflect attacks with 3 times the damage. Namine fell backwards, before regaining her balance. Ventus-Roxas did note some damage had been done, but it was hard to tell.

"Very good. But you will never defeat me. However, you will provide for an interesting foe..." Namine noted, as if she was merely testing Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas then ran forwards to try and continue his assault, but Namine deflected his attack with a mere swipe of her hand. Several dark thorns shot out and scraped Ventus-Roxas, while Ventus-Roxas began using Aero magic to avoid being hit from several more deadly magic spells. Namine then got an idea; pointing her one hand at the Xion-Notebook, Namine began firing dark thorns infused with Fire magic at the Xion-Notebook in an attempt to stop Ventus-Roxas. However, the Xion-Notebook (being made out of Namine's memory notebook itself) made a Reflect barrier appear around itself to repel the atack.

"Impressive. Even as a mere notebook you still show power," Namine noted.

"XION!" Ventus-Roxas shouted. Running towards Namine with the X-Blade in hand, Ventus-Roxas infused the blade with the hottest fire he could muster to strike at Namine. Namine put up her hand and made a Reflect shield of her own, while also summoning a Magnet spell behind Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas slammed into the shield and bounced backwards into the Magnet spell, being repelled in a double-whammy of an attack. Namine then shot more freezing beams of ice at Ventus-Roxas in an attempt to freeze him solid; Ventus-Roxas managed to spin himself out of the Magnet spell, and, using the X-Blade's strength, he slashed at the Magnet spell, sending it directly at Namine in a sort of energy bomb motion. Namine was hit in the chest by the attack, but the Magnet spell lost its power as it hit Namine, leaving her with minimal damage.

"You cannot win. While you hold the blade of Kingdom Hearts, I AM Kingdom Hearts manifested into eternty," Namine pointed out, her voice as empty and devoid of emotions as Xemnas himself.

"The X-Blade exists alongside Kingdom Hearts. Therefore, I'd say we're evenly matched," Ventus-Roxas growled. Namine just pointed one index finger to the air, summoning a energy ball fusion of Magnet, Fire, and Thunder magic.

"Then I shall absorb you too," Namine growled, before throwing the mixed energy spell-ball at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas deflected the attack with high difficulty, as Namine was throwing every last bit of power she had at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas crazily dodged as balls of flame, plumes of ice, shards of lightning, orbs of magnetic attraction, thorns of darkness, and even an intensification of gravity all went against him. Yet he managed to continue staying alive.

"_I made a promise! I will keep that promise!" _Ventus-Roxas mentally screamed. Namine just sighed, as if she was bored.

"Roxas, why do you continue to struggle? Xion is still here. There's nothing left for you to do," Namine sighed. Ventus-Roxas then snapped.

"I MADE A PROMISE TO FREE KINGDOM HEARTS, AND I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, before charging directly at Namine. Namine fired several dark thorns at Ventus-Roxas to hamper his advance, yet Ventus-Roxas didn't lose speed as he continued to run to Namine. Namine, impressed, got ready to shoot two powerful Magnet orbs at Ventus-Roxas.

"Roxas..." the Xion-Notebook uttered. "Get ready."

Ventus-Roxas then took a look on his surroundings and noticed the Magnet orbs Namine was about to shoot. Increasing his speed, Ventus-Roxas ran forwards towards Namine, despite the thorns slicing apart his clothing and scratching his armor as he did so. Namine fired the Magnet orbs at Ventus-Roxas, but he then slid directly under the Magnet orbs. Namine didn't expect this, as shown by her shocked face, and Ventus-Roxas jumped upwards and delivered a powerful slash across Namine's body. Namine's dress got a large rip in the center, and a small crimson stain appeared on the front of her dress. Namine, her eyes burning with hatred but her expression still empty, began firing a mixture of lightning bolts and dark thorns at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas was hit in the back by the majority of the attacks, and he consequently was knocked over. Namine gently began floating foward as Ventus-Roxas struggled to get up. The Xion-Notebook fluttered in front of Roxas, before casting a Cure spell on him. Ventus-Roxas gingerly got up, still a bit shocked from the attack. Namine just stared darkly at the Xion-Notebook, before firing a dark fireball at it. Ventus-Roxas jumped in front of the Xion-Notebook and deflected the fireball right back at Namine.

"You won't destroy Xion!" Ventus-Roxas growled.

"Roxas...no matter what, I shall win. I must win. I must save the universe," Namine sighed.

"Yeah, and I'm going to save the universe, too! From you!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, before shooting a large fireball from the X-Blade at Namine. The Xion-Notebook kept still, admiring the display of power Ventus-Roxas was exuding. Namine continued to fight back, growling a bit.

"I will not lose. Not when my goal is within reach!" Namine shouted.

"I'M NOT LETTING THE UNIVERSE EBB AWAY!" Ventus-Roxas screamed. "My goal was to free Kingdom Hearts, but you just HAD to go and ruin it! I wanted to finally make Xion's wish come true! And I won't let you stop me!"

"Fool. Nobodies cannot even begin to show emotion. That's what DiZ always said, and that's how I'll always feel," Namine growled. "I thought you could help me change it. But you had to stay headstrong to a failed wish."

"FAILED WISH!?" both Ventus-Roxas and the Xion-Notebook screamed. Ventus-Roxas then began glowing a bright light that emanated from his entire body, making him appear as if he was glowing. Namine saw then, gasping.

"Her wish is not failed!" Ventus-Roxas screamed, before grinning. "It was merely delayed..."

Ventus-Roxas then charged directly at Namine with the X-Blade, going at the speed of light as he did so. Ventus-Roxas then began dashing in all directions at high speeds while slicing Namine, tearing her white dress and leaving crimson stains on her purple skin. Soon, Ventus-Roxas ran out of stamina and stopped for a moment to catch his breath, before Namine screamed like an insane Nobody, similar to Roxas's loud scream back during his deranged assault on Organization XIII not too long ago.

"I WILL DESTROY YOU!" Namine screamed, before sticking her hands into the air. Immdiately, a swathe of darkness overtook the entire area, leaving nothing but darkness in its place. No, darkness wasn't accurate. Ventus-Roxas could still see Namine, as well at the Xion-Notebook. Ventus-Roxas, still glowing, angrily looked up at Namine.

"Now what are you doing?" Ventus-Roxas shouted. Before long, several thousand Keyblades began appearing in the darkness, all of their sharp tips pointing directly at Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas looked around, suprised. Each and every Keyblade in existance was floating in the dark void surrounding him; the basic Kingdom Key, the powerful Sleeping Lion, the magnificent Mysterious Abyss, even the second strongest Keyblade known: the Ultima Weapon. All these Keyblades and more surrounded Ventus-Roxas at a large distance, with Namine standing behind the front couple of rows. Namine, grinning wickedly, threw her arms downwards as if she was throwing something at Ventus-Roxas. In a way, she did. The thousands of Keyblades began charging downwards towards Ventus-Roxas; at the same time, Ventus-Roxas began using the X-Blade to deflect each Keyblade attack as fast as he could. The X-Blade spun like crazy while every Keyblade known to man, woman, Heartless, and Nobody clashed downwards, trying to kill him. The Xion-Notebook hid beneath Ventus-Roxas, trying to avoid getting ripped apart by the assault. Ventus-Roxas continued to deflect each Keyblade, going at an insane amount of speed; no Keyblade was getting through to him to injure him yet, but he was running out of stamina FAST. The Keyblades continued to rain down as Namine laughed evilly; the Xion-Notebook angrily growled, before glowing. As Ventus-Roxas continued deflecting the Keyblades, the Xion-Notebook began letting out a powerful glow from beneath Ventus-Roxas.

* * *

In a dusty city far from the battlefield, a tan young man walked within the dusty streets of an old city. The city had crumbling concrete foundations, with scaffolding and rope everywhere. The man had a purple tunic on, and he also had white pants as well. As he walked barefoot down the streets of the old city, a bright light appeared in the sky. The man turned around to face the sky, looking at the bright light. At the same time this happened, a tan girl with black hair in a blue dress and a blue top ran up to the man, suprised to see the light as well.

"Aladdin, what is that?" the girl asked. Aladdin, the man, just turned to the girl.

"I don't know Jasmine..." Aladdin sighed. At that moment, both Aladdin and Jasmine, the girl, saw several Universed begin pouring out of the light portal, much to their dismay.

* * *

In a different world, several Neoshadows were slashed to pieces from a large, brown-furred beast with a purple cloak, stretched pants, and black horns. He bared his gleaming white fangs as he slashed his large paws through the air, killing several other Neoshadows in a single swipe. More Neoshadows appeared behind the beast, as he turned around, growling.

"Get out of my castle!" the large beast growled. The Neoshadows reared to attack...until a large Universed appeared behind them all and swiped its claws across each of the Neoshadows, vaporizing them instantly.

* * *

In yet another world, several kids were playing around in what seemed to be a large sandlot. One kid was a tall blonde kid with scraggly hair, cameo pants, and a black shirt beneath a grey vest. Another kid was an equally tall boy with a red shirt, black hair, and white pants. The third and final kid was a girl with long, brown hair, tan pants, and an orange shirt. All three of the kids were laughing happily, playing tag as they ran around the sandlot in peace, the orange hues of the sunset sky casting their glow across the autumn-brick-colored city...until a light portal opened in the sky, where Universed began pouring out. The three kids all looked to the sky, as the Universed began landing around the sandlot, along with other parts of the city.

* * *

Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith were all walking around Hollow Bastion, confused out of their minds.

"How did we end up back here?" Yuffie wondered.

"I don't know," Aerith answered.

"Guys, what's that?" Leon asked, pointing to the sky. Yuffie and Aerith both looked up and saw the same light portal open up, shooting out Universed like bullets. Leon got his gunsword ready as Yuffie grabbed her shuriken, with several medium-sized Universed beginning to drop from the sky to attack.

* * *

The unconscious Riku lied on a large tree branch back on his home at the Destiny Islands. Aqua looked over him as Riku lied atop a bent palm tree, which was bent in a way to sit three people if they were all sitting normally on said tree. The sky was nearing sunset, as the bright sun began to dip in the horizon of the ocean behind Aqua. Riku laid there, silent but still breathing, as the sun continued to dip beneath the horizon. A dark portal opened up next to Aqua, and she saw Zexion, the king, and the dog and duck from the pods in one of the previous chapters come out as well. Just like Riku, they both were unconscious.

"Donald and Goofy..." Aqua sighed, as she looked at the two K.O.'d animals. Zexion walked past her over to Riku, whom he stared at for a while.

"The King located them in the basement of Dad's mansion," Zexion noted. "They're still asleep. Probably because Sora and Roxas have not yet merged."

"Didn't Sora and Roxas alreasy merge?" Aqua asked.

"Physically, yes. But not the memories and their metaphysical counterparts," Zexion explained. "If we ever want to see Sora, Donald, and Goofy awake, Roxas will need to disappear. But he has a mission he needs to finish first."

"So, once he slays Namine, Kingdom Hearts will be free, and he can fade in peace?" Aqua asked.

"Yes. Unfortunate fate, but that's how it has to go..." Zexion sighed. "But Roxas will live on within Sora's Awakening."

"Huh?" was all Aqua and the King could ask.

"The Awakening. With a capital A," Zexion explained. "It's where powerful Nobodies go when they die. I should know..."

"Oh..." Aqua uttered. Riku, still unconscious, let out a small moan. The King lightly set down Donald, the duck, and Goofy, the dog, before running over to Aqua, Riku, and Zexion.

"Is he waking up?" Aqua asked.

"Possibly," Zexion noted. However, a light portal opened in the sky, spewing out Universed as it did so. Zexion, suprised but not late in his recoil from shock, summoned his lexicon as Aqua and the King got their Keyblades ready. Several small Universed sprouted in front of them, as much larger Universed began appearing out in the deep ocean, wading through it slowly but effectively as if it was just thick snow.

* * *

Namine laughed maniacally as this happened. "Do you seriously beleive you can stop me!? As we speak, the Universed are being released into every world, thanks to me!" Namine shouted. Ventus-Roxas just continued to spin the X-Blade, growing weary of the never-ending storm of Keyblades.

"Just hold strong, Roxas!" the Xion-Notebook shouted, glowing brighter as she did so. "I just need more time!"

Ventus-Roxas continued spinning the X-Blade, trying his hardest to continue deflecting the Keyblade storm. Namine just continued laughing as the bright light began to envelop the battlefield they were in as well.

"ALL SHALL BE PURGED FROM DARKNESS! ALL WILL BATHE IN LIGHT!" Namine shouted.

"Your plan's corrupt!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, while still blocking the Keyblades, becoming weaker and weaker as time passed. Soon enough, the light enveloped the entire battlefield they were in. Ventus-Roxas continued spinning the X-Blade, despite being blinded by the light; however, he didn't feel any more Keyblades shooting down at him, which was a relief. Ventus-Roxas let his guard down just a moment to relax his tensed muscles...but then he knew something was wrong. Turning around immdiately, Ventus-Roxas was knocked backwards with a powerful Gravity spell. The light disappeared, and Ventus-Roxas was able to see Namine standing over him, her face expressionless again. She had a conglomeration of dark thorns in her hands, barely resembling his X-Blade, if it were just a normal longsword. Namine swung the blade down to strike the stunned Ventus-Roxas, but instead she ended up slicing the Xion-Notebook in half. Ventus-Roxas's eyes widened as he saw the Xion-Notebook get sliced in two, before the entire notebook disappeared. Xion didn't even have time to cry out as the notebook disappeared instantly. Ventus-Roxas gasped lightly, and Namine got ready to finish the job; that is, until Ventus-Roxas blew her back with his most powerful Aero spell yet. Namine flipped herself back on her feet, as a VERY angry Ventus-Roxas got up, nearly foaming at the mouth out of frustration and anger.

"YOU...YOU...YOU LITTLE **WITCH!"** Ventus-Roxas screamed. NOW he didn't care what happened. Namine was dead to him. Namine stared expressionless, as she released an empty chuckle.

"You sound just like Marluxia," Namine sighed. "He abused my powers in Castle Oblivion. And now he's gone. My powers were abused by DiZ. Now he's gone too," Namine noted. "As for Xion, her powers were abused. And now the Organization is gone."

"INCLUDING HER!" Ventus-Roxas screamed. "AND NOW YOU KILLED HER AGAIN!"

"She never existed. Nor do you and I," Namine continued. "How could I kill what never existed?"

"EVEN SO, WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PLANETS!?" Ventus-Roxas screamed. "What about that Genie from Agrabah, and his friend Al!? What about that beast and the Belle girl, along with the clock and candelbra!? What about Pence and his friends in Twilight Town!? WHAT ABOUT LEON, YUFFIE, AND AERITH!?"

"They will have to face a new world when their lives end naturally anyway. A world with peace," Namine sighed. "I plan to give that to them, as compensation for the destruction of their homeworlds."

Ventus-Roxas just gripped the X-Blade so tightly his knuckles turned white, with his teeth grinding in rage. He was even shuddering from the pent-up anger inside of him. "You should be thanking me, Roxas. After all, they will soon be at peace. My Universed underlings are already on the move. And whenever it all is over, I can recreate the Universed into beings of complete light and positive emotions. It will be a better universe. One where darkness is eradicated and people can live without fear of the darkness."

"YOU'RE WRONG! YOU'RE FREAKING WRONG!" Ventus-Roxas screamed. "YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT! NOT EVEN KINGDOM HEARTS HAS THAT POWER!"

"Kingdom Hearts holds eternal power, Roxas. You should know: after all, you weild the X-Blade," Namine chuckled. Ventus-Roxas twitched a little as heard that empty laugh he heard so many times before...from Xemnas. From Xigbar. From Xaldin. From Vexen. Even from Sai"X himself.

"Was that...was that supposed to be a joke...!?" Ventus-Roxas growled, his eyes flaring with fury. "**BECAUSE I'M NOT LAUGHING!**"

Ventus-Roxas then charged directly at Namine, going at speeds faster than he could possibly imagine. Namine didn't know what hit her as Ventus-Roxas made the X-Blade connect directly into her chest. Making a clean slice through her, Ventus-Roxas stopped on the other side, gripping the X-Blade with just as much intensity as before. Namine floated there in her space of ethereality, as if she wasn't even affected by the attack. Namine's pupils in her eyes began to dilate, before she shut her eyes completely. Instantly, a dark aura covered Namine as a slice appeared in her dress, creating a large crimson stain on her white dress. Ventus-Roxas turned around and saw the new Namine; her white dress was completely red, as if it was blood itself. Her skin was a dark purple, with a crimson mark under her eye that replaced the flower symbol from before; the crimson mark looked like the Universed insignia, which was an "X" with the top spurs of the "X" connected by a horizontal line. Namine's hair was purely black, as if it was nighttime itself. The most shocking feature, however, was her eyes; they were completely hollowed out and fully black, as if someone had removed her eyes. Namine then looked down at Ventus-Roxas, her hollow eyes suddenly getting two demonic red pupils inside them. Ventus-Roxas could see the insides of the pupils had the Heartless insignia on her left eye, and the Nobody insignia on her right. Two dark orbs appeared in Namine's hands, as she immdiately shot them into the area of space above them. Instantly, the dark orbs shot downwards, hitting Namine and encasing her in a dark column that spread outwards. Ventus-Roxas was engulfed by the darkness instantly, having no time to escape.

* * *

Aqua, the King, and Zexion had eliminated several Universed on the island beachside, having taken Riku, Donald, and Goofy away from the small island via the wooden bridge. Several Universed surrounded them, staring at them intently. Before the Universed had a chance to attack, however, Ventus-Roxas suddenly appeared from nearly out of nowhere, landing on the ground inbetween them all.

"ROXAS!" Aqua shouted, suprised beyond belief. Ventus-Roxas got up, with the Universed all standing still, unnaturally stiff.

"Aqua! Guys! Problem!" Ventus-Roxas shouted. Before anyone could ask what was going on, a menacing and demonic laugh resounded over the entire island. The Universed then all disappeared, having fled from the noise out of fear; considering Universed were full of negative emotions like pride, that was saying a lot.

"Well, well, well...this is where it all began for Sora..." Namine's voice echoed. "These islands...this is your true birthplace Roxas. The same world as Sora."

"So what? You'll just destroy it like the rest!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, while he looked around for Namine. Zexion and the others were also looking around, immdiately suspicious. The King was circling around Riku, Donald, and Goofy, to be safe.

"...you...you, Roxas...you confuse me," Namine's voice growled. "Despite lack of emotion, you act as if you still owned emotion..."

"Maybe I do. After all, I AM the Keyblade Master's Nobody," Ventus-Roxas chuckled, putting a sarcastic spin on that last sentence. The sky then filled with dark clouds as thunder rumbled and lightning struck the ground mere inches away from Ventus-Roxas. Ventus-Roxas jumped backwards, as the lightning had zapped the sand so hard it turned immdiatelyy to glass. A more sinister laugh was heard echoing around, as the trees of the island began to sway and blow violently with the intensity of the storm Namine had created. The waves began crashing very dangerously and loudly, as a dark shadow appeared in the sky. Everyone looked up, and all but Ventus-Roxas gasped in repulsion. The demonic Namine floated there, grinning wickedly, showcasing her pointed, blood-red teeth.

"Prepare to lose all you know..." Namine growled, her voice becoming distorted. Ventus-Roxas just looked upwards, gripping the X-Blade as he did so. Ventus-Roxas then grinned.

"You know...I had a feeling you'd transform...so now, it's time to even the playing field!" Ventus-Roxas screamed, pointing his X-Blade to the sky. "KINGDOM HEARTS! LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH!"

Instantly, a bolt of lightning flew down and struck the tip of Ventus-Roxas's X-Blade, before Ventus-Roxas began glowing an even brighter light. The demonic Namine looked on, seeing Ventus-Roxas floating upwards into the sky. Grinning as he did so, Namine noted a powerful change in Ventus-Roxas's facial expression.

"Namine. It all ends here," Ventus-Roxas growled. "And when you're gone, I can finally fade in peace."

"I'LL DESTROY YOU!" Namine growled, growing sharp claws from her fingernails by merely stretching out her hands. Ventus-Roxas just grabbed the X-Blade, ready to take on Namine.

"Kingdom Hearts will be free. Now, prepare to die!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, before charging at the demonic Namine. Zexion, Aqua, and the King all watched, as Namine and Ventus-Roxas got ready for the final fight.

"It's all or nothing..." Aqua uttered, as the storm thundered louder, the winds got faster, the electricity got brighter, and the waves crashed harder.

**Part one of two in the AWESOME BATTLE part of this fic? DONE. Chapter 21 will contain the second half of the fight, Chapter 22 will contain the aftermath, and Chapter 23...? That's a secret. REVIEW IF YOU THINK VENTUS-ROXAS IS GOING TO WIN! REVIEW IF YOU THINK NAMINE LOOKS EVIL! REVIEW IF YOU REVIEWED BEFORE! DID I MENTION REVIEW!?**


	21. What I'm Made Of

**Part two of the final boss. What happened to Xion? What will happen now? Find out in the last part of the final battle. Because Kingdom Hearts has to have 3 final bosses before the epilouge. XD. THE FOLLOWING SONG LYRICS ARE OWNED BY CRUSH 40. NOT ME! I AM NOT AFFILATED WITH CRUSH 40! THE SONG WAS USED FOR THIS BATTLE AS AMBIENCE, THEREFORE I AM NOT TRYING TO ENDORSE OR SPONSER CRUSH 40 WITHOUT THEIR CONSENT! Okay, with that out of the way, here comes the second part of the climaxful battle! It's so awesome, it needs its own word. XD**

**WARNING: contains many Sonic references. As such, I also do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or its affilates. And sorry for the wait: I had to choose between "What I'm Made Of," "With Me," or "Me Against The World" and it was DIFFICULT.**

_Chapter Twenty-One: What I'm Made Of_

(Obviously, cue "What I'm Made Of" by Crush 40.)

Ventus-Roxas flew into the air, his light aura creating a glow within him that made him fly. In front of him, the demonic Namine also flew up, before a lightning bolt struck the area of space around her right hand. Namine then got a sword made entirely out of black lightning; Ventus-Roxas knew it couldn't be a Keyblade, but a sword forged from darkness itself. Namine stared straight ahead, her demonic autumn-like colored forming a deadly contrast to the swirling dark storm around Destiny Islands.

"All worlds will submerge to one, and light will shine upon the darkness!" Namine shouted. "I AM RIGHT!"

"You're wrong Namine!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, grasping the X-Blade as he flew in the air. Namine smirked.

"On what grounds?" Namine retorted.

"I don't know. But something tells me...deep inside...this isn't right at all!" Ventus-Roxas shouted. "AND THAT'S ENOUGH REASON FOR ME TO END THIS NOW!"

_I don't care what you're thinking as you turn to me_

Ventus-Roxas charged forwards, slicing at Namine with the X-Blade. Namine dodged the attack and began firing several electrical energy balls of darkness at Ventus-Roxas, whom swiftly deflected before firing Thunder spells at Namine like crazy. Namine was able to evade them easy, as she began shooting fireballs now.

_'Cause what I have in my two hands is enough to set me free (set me free)_

Ventus-Roxas then decided to shoot Blizzard spells to counter the fireballs, before charging at Namine through the mist. Namine grinned; the mist was water in a gaseous form, but still water. Namine summoned a lightning bolt to strike Ventus-Roxas, which did a powerful burst of shocking damage. Ventus-Roxas flew backwards, with Namine charging at him with her black electrical sword.

_I could fight the feeling to resist it over time_

Ventus-Roxas then spun into the air by backflipping, suprising Namine as Ventus-Roxas flew directly over her. Ventus-Roxas then threw the X-Blade in a saw-like motion down at her, hitting her in the back with a powerful and solid hit. If Namine was bleeding, it was impossible to tell from her already blood-red dress. Namine turned around, her demonic eyes glaring, before she vanished in the blink of an eye.

_But when it's just too much to take, you sneak up from behind_

Namine then appeared right behind Ventus-Roxas and stabbed him cleanly through his chest with the black electrical sword. As Ventus-Roxas experienced the jolting pain (pun I know), the electrical blade began shocking him literally, before Namine threw Ventus-Roxas down to the cold oceans in a swift move. Ventus-Roxas shot down to the oceans, but he quickly healed himself before he hit the cold water. Ventus-Roxas grinned, as he gripped his X-Blade tightly, ready for a counterattack.

_Is it me..._

Ventus-Roxas then hit the ocean's water, but unbeknowst to Namine, he had put up a Reflect sheild to protect himself from the ocean.

_...you say..._

Ventus-Roxas then shot back upwards from the force of the Reflect shield hitting the chaotic ocean spray; combining this boost with some Aero magic, Ventus-Roxas became a dash of light in the sky of darkness, charging towards the Demonic Queen of Memory, Namine.

_...you're looking for?_

Namine put up her black energy sword to deflect Ventus-Roxas's charge, but Ventus-Roxas did a side-spin, slicing past her and making several small but sharp slashes on her side. Ventus-Roxas cursed at himself mentally; if he had just connected, the move would've been strong enough to end Namine instantly. Ventus-Roxas blasted back downwards with more Aero magic, but this time both their blades collided, forming a power struggle between the two adversaries. Aqua, Zexion, and the King all watched in amazement, as Riku began to stir more.

_Let me show you who I am and what I'm here for..._

"Your blade cannot touch me," Namine mocked. Ventus-Roxas just growled, as he began pushing harder, trying to break Namine's concentration with his own determination. Riku's eyes began to open slightly, and all he saw was the blurry brown of the sand, the distorted figures of Zexion, the King, and Aqua, and the blackness-mix of the stormy skies and the ravaging ocean waters.

_...here for..._

Ventus-Roxas then let go on the attack, making Namine try to slice at him. However, Ventus-Roxas did this purposely to have Namine attack, as he then kneed her in the stomach, slashed at her from behind, and fired a direct-hit Fire spell on her back, singing her purple hair as Ventus-Roxas did so. Aqua cheered on, as Riku stood up, dazed. The King turned around, suprised, and helped Riku to stand normally.

_HEEEEEEEEY!_

Namine spun around to fire another firey blast of darkness at Ventus-Roxas, but Ventus-Roxas shot a Thunder spell at her before she could do anything. Riku was now fully oriented, and he saw the entire fight progressing from this point forward.

_Try to reach inside of me!_

Namine and Ventus-Roxas began violently clashing in mid-air, their respective swords creating large thunderclaps and titanic bursts of lightning to shine across the sky.

_Try to drain my energy!_

Namine then flipped over Ventus-Roxas and did a slicing attack while lowering herself to the ocean waters, giving Ventus-Roxas a huge gash on his back. Ventus-Roxas flipped around, his eyes blazing as small spurts of blood shot out of the gash in his back.

_Let me show you just..._

Charging downwards at Namine with renewed vigor, Ventus-Roxas gripped the X-Blade tightly. Namine turned at that exact moment, only to see a blur of light.

_WHAT_

Ventus-Roxas made a single slice at Namine, stunning her instantly with the downwards swipe.

_I'M_

Ventus-Roxas made a second, more powerful swipe upwards this time, although it didn't throw Namine back.

_MADE_

Ventus-Roxas made a third, horizontal swipe this time; he made sure to use the force of the swipe to spin Namine in circles to disorient her further.

_OF!_

Ventus-Roxas then shot a powerful Thunder spell from the X-Blade at Namine, shocking the spinning blur of purple-and-red. Namine, crackling with electricity, descended a bit, before charging up at Ventus-Roxas with her black electrical sword.

_Simple curiosity!_

Namine and Ventus-Roxas clashed in mid-air once again, their weapons creating a large shockwave of light from the powerful collision. Not one of them gave up any ground as they struggled in mid-air to defeat one another.

_Try to take a bite of me! **(Not kidding actual lyrics)**_

Namine and Ventus-Roxas both gave a forceful push to try and break the other's concentration, but they ended up just pushing each other away. Namine charged at Ventus-Roxas again, whom smirked and readied his X-Blade.

_Let me show you just..._

Namine shot many small fireballs, ice spheres, dark thorns, and lightning bolts at Ventus-Roxas from her electrical sword. Ventus-Roxas then grasped the X-Blade as tight as he could muster without hurting his hand.

_WHAT_

Ventus-Roxas sliced through several fireballs in one swipe, before using Aero magic to launch himself towards the projectiles.

_I'M_

Ventus-Roxas spun around at high speed and velocity, shattering the ice spheres and bouncing the lightning bolts into the dark tendrils.

_MADE_

Ventus-Roxas got extremely close to Namine and tried to slice at her, before Namine deflected his attack with a Reflect spell.

_OF_

Ventus-Roxas was blown back by the sudden deflection, and Namine got ready to throw a charged electrical slice attack at him.

_nooooowwww...._

Namine was then blasted backwards by a powerful strike from her side. Ventus-Roxas flipped back right-side-up, wincing a bit from the shock of the reflection, and he saw Aqua, in her trademark teal-and-tan full-body armor riding on her intergalactic Keyblade mini-ship. **(You heard me.) **Riku was on Aqua's left side, and the King on the right, both of their Keyblades pointed out and ready. Namine, growling, got her black electrical sword ready for combat against them as well, until Namine was hit from behind with a Fire spell. Turning around, Namine saw Zexion floating in the air, holding his lexicon and smirking sarcastically. Ventus-Roxas flew back upwards, ready to continue his attack.

_Like a million faces_

Namine then spun in a circle, shooting fireballs in all directions. Aqua, the King, and Riku evaded, while Zexion fired his own ice spheres to counter the fireball barrage.

_I've recognized them all_

Ventus-Roxas dodged the fireballs expertly, but this cost him speed, the initiative, and the upper hand, as Namine began firing larger, more powerful Fire spells that were harder to avoid.

_And one by one they've all become_

Aqua charged her Keyblade mini-ship into the fireball storm, with Riku and the King sending Reflect spells in all directions to block the oncoming attack. Ventus-Roxas flew behind them, getting into their safe slipstream as they cut a path to Namine.

_A number as they fall (as they fall)_

Namine, growling, then began charging at high speeds with Aero magic, slamming the Keyblade-wielding heroes with all her might. The King fell off the Keyblade mini-ship, but Ventus-Roxas caught him in time and tossed him back aboard.

_In the face of reason_

Ventus-Roxas looked directly at Namine, whom had a expression full of enmity and malice in her eyes, yet with the cold and cruel expressionless face of a serial killer...or a Nobody.

_Well I can't take no more_

Zexion used his lexicon and began firing pages from the inside of his lexicon at Namine. Namine merely ripped the pages in two with her claw-like fingernails, becoming more and more feral by the minute. Ventus-Roxas took this lapse in concentration to fire a powerful Magnet spell at Namine, which made her cling to the shocking orb of magnetism like a mere electrically-charged sock.

_One by one they've all become a black mark on the floor_

Aqua flew her Keyblade mini-ship directly towards the magnetized orb, while the King and Riku kept their footing. Zexion opened his lexicon and began charging a powerful Thunder spell, before pointing his lexicon to the stormy, dark clouds, which at this point were ceasing to be clouds; now the clouds acted more like an electrical blanket over the churning seas surrounding Destiny Islands.

_Is it me (it me)..._

The orb dissipated as Aqua ran directly over Namine in mid-air. As she passed at high speeds, the King and Riku began shooting Gravity spells at Namine that began pulling her to the ocean. Ventus-Roxas distracted Namine with constant slicing attacks, although not one of them got through to her thanks to her quick strokes of her electrical blade.

_...you say (you say)..._

Namine's feet made contact with the churning ocean waters as Ventus-Roxas and her continued to clash. Ventus-Roxas was blown back by a very powerful mix of Aero magic and Reflect magic, but Zexion let his Thunder spell loose at that moment. A large lightning bolt struck Namine head on, increasing its effect thanks to the cold ocean below.

_...you're looking for?_

Namine, her hair slightly on fire from the powerful shock, turned to Zexion, foaming from her mouth like a mad dog. Namine then appeared right behind Zexion and began slashing at him from all directions, growling and screaming illegibly while biting him as if he was some sort of chew toy. Ventus-Roxas looked up, before grasping his X-Blade tightly.

"IENZO!" Ventus-Roxas shouted; the Roxas half didn't know why he did that...did he know Ienzo in the past? Whatever.

_Let me show you who I am and what I have in store..._

Ventus-Roxas flew back up as fast as he could, while Zexion used his lexicon to swat the possibly insane Namine away from him. Namine continued barking madly; Aqua turned her Keyblade mini-ship around and saw this chaos unfold.

_...in store..._

Ventus-Roxas reached Namine and Zexion and got ready to slice downwards. Zexion managed to swat Namine away as this happened; using his illusion powers, Zexion disappeared out of the way, leaving Namine wide-open for attacks as she was confused on where Zexion just went.

_Hey! Hey! YEEEEEAH!_

Ventus-Roxas slashed downwards on Namine, smacking her head down. He then slashed upwards, sending Namine spawling into the air. Ventus-Roxas threw his X-Blade in a saw-like boomerang motion, also hitting Namine and ripping parts of her blood-red dress.

_Try to reach inside of me!_

Aqua used her Keyblade mini-ship to charge forwards and strike Namine again, but this time Namine managed to use a Reflect spell to directly hit Aqua off of her mini-ship.

_Try to drain my energy!_

Aqua fell towards the cold ocean waters, with a devious Namine flittering down, her torn dress seemingly becoming more and more like blood-colored tendrils of darkness as Namine got ever closer to Aqua's body.

_Let me show you just..._

Zexion then appeared right in front of Namine, with his lexicon open and ready.

_WHAT_

Zexion then fired a large Aero spell out of his lexicon, blowing Namine back.

_I'M_

Namine spun backwards, while Riku shot as many dark fireballs at her as he could muster.

_MADE_

The King then got grabbed Aqua and used Aero magic to keep themselves afloat as Ventus-Roxas got on Aqua's Keyblade mini-ship and turned it around to strike Namine.

_OF!_

Ventus-Roxas then ran over Namine again in Aqua's Keyblade mini-ship, before flying downwards and giving Aqua some foothold.

_Simple curiosity!_

Namine, now VERY angry, stuck her hands in the air and began shooting down lightning bolts in all directions at high speeds, making it dangerous to even be in the same vicinity as her, let alone attack her.

_Try to take a bite of me!_

Zexion used his lexicon to Reflect some lightning bolts that were dropping from the sky to kill him, while Ventus-Roxas took his chances and charged towards Namine again.

_Let me show you just..._

Ventus-Roxas then was assaulted by a fireball storm from Namine, in compliments to the dangerous lightning bolts.

_WHAT_

Ventus-Roxas blasted through the assault using many Reflect spells, which cost him the majority of his magic power.

_I'M_

Ventus-Roxas was then thrown back into a Magnet orb, which Namine had casted behind him whenever he got close enough.

_MADE_

Namine fired a large dark tendril at Ventus-Roxas, which slashed at him mercilessly and repeatedly; Ventus-Roxas couldn't do a thing, as he was stuck to the Magnet orb.

_OF_

Zexion reappeared behind Namine and did a very hard swing with his lexicon. The lexicon connected with Namine's side of her head, throwing her off to her left from the force of the blow and also eliminating the tendril.

_nooooowww...._

The King, Aqua, and Riku all flew up on Aqua's Keyblade mini-ship, and opened fire on Namine. The King shot as many spheres of light as he could, Riku shot as many spheres of darkness as he could, and Aqua kept a steady pace on Namine's location, being careful as to not lose her sight.

_You can take another lifelong try..._

Namine flipped back and and reflected all of the shots back at the King, Riku, and Aqua. Zexion dropped down and used his lexicon to take the brunt of the blow, but it blew him back into the other three, sending Aqua off-course.

_You can take another try...._

Aqua's Keyblade mini-ship began spiraling downwards towards the churning ocean waters, and she steered it to her left at a sharp rate of speed so they would crash in the shallower waters and not risk drowning in the sea. The four of them crashed into the shallow part of the ocean, which threw Aqua off face-first into the sand. The King flew off from the impact, almost going into the deep part of the ocean, but Zexion grabbed him and jumped back onto the beach. Riku had jumped off beforehand and had landed on the small island connected to the mainland via bridge. The Magnet orb then disappeared due to its short-term life, and Ventus-Roxas looked at Namine, whom was grinning even more wickedly than before.

_Hey!_

"YOU REALLY **ARE **MAD!" Ventus-Roxas screamed, before pointing the X-Blade at Namine.

_(guitar solo)_

Several thunderbolts shot out of the X-Blade at Namine, but Namine merely deflected them with her own black electrical sword. Namine laughed maniacally again, except this time Ventus-Roxas could tell it was a mix of unparalleled rage, overwhelming anxiety, and pure insanity all into one.

"MAD!? I'M PERFECT!" Namine shouted. "THE WORLDS WILL SEE A NEW ORDER OF LIGHT!"

"AND HOW LONG BEFORE THAT ORDER FALLS NAMINE!?" Ventus-Roxas retorted, now firing as many Fire spells as he could at Namine. Namine countered with her own Blizzard spells, her voice becoming more twisted and distorted until, if Ventus-Roxas didn't know what was going on, he wouldn't assume it for a second to be Namine.

"NEVER! NEVER I SAY! HAHAHAHAHA! HHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Namine laughed maniacally, her voice beginning to break down while she laughed insanely. "LIGHT! LIGHT! LIIIIGHT!"

Aqua, the King, Riku, and Zexion just stood where they were, all of them slack-jawed at Namine's true insanity. Ventus-Roxas gripped the X-Blade as hard as he could muster, now not caring if his knuckles ached or not. "NO! YOU WON'T WIN!" Ventus-Roxas shouted, making a circle of light begin to appear around the X-Blade's tip.

_Ye-e-eah!_

Riku got his own Keyblade and pointed it directly at Namine, his face expressionless and ready to end her dark terror. A circle of light began to appear around the tip of his Keyblade, too.

_Try to reach inside of me!_

Namine continued firing Blizzard spells, casting Thunder bolts, and shooting Fire spheres in all directions, not caring what she demolished. Ventus-Roxas used his power to create a strong Reflect shield around himself, as the light circle continued to grow in power.

_Try to drain my energy!_

Aqua pointed her own Keyblade directly at Namine as well, her facial expression stern, serious, and ready. Namine began firing Magnet orbs everywhere as well, but Ventus-Roxas managed to keep his position.

_Let me show you just..._

The King also pointed his Keyblade directly at Namine, a light circle appearing around it as well.

_WHAT_

Namine then focused all her power in her right hand, and she fired a concentrated dark energy blast out of her right hand.

_I'M_

Ventus-Roxas shot his beam of light from the X-Blade as this happened, and the strength of both light and dark collided in a single motion above the toiling waters of the blackened sea.

_MADE_

Riku also fired his own light beam, which directed itself and connected right next to the X-Blade beam.

_OF!_

Aqua and the King both fired their own light beams from their Keyblades simultaneously, both of them hitting into the dark sphere right next to the X-Blade's beam.

_Simple curiosity!_

Namine put even more power into her push to destroy Ventus-Roxas, increasing the power and size of the dark energy ball dramatically.

_Try to take a bite of me!_

Ventus-Roxas was having difficulty pushing it back, as the power of the attack was becoming too great, even for the X-Blade. Riku, the King, and Aqua all had their maximum power go into their beams of light, yet it still wasn't doing anything!

_Let me show you just..._

Namine continued laughed madly, her demonic voice echoing across the dark oceans to the Destiny Islands's mainland, where several inhabitants were all cooped up in their concrete homes, huddled together in bunches to try and tough out the sudden storm that had appeared. One of these beings in a lone house was a girl with auburn-red hair that went down to her thighs; she was wearing a pink dress, purple sandals, and had a white undertop showing on her chest area, thanks to the pink dress being unzipped a bit. The second being appeared to be her elderly grandmother.

_WHAT_

The struggle between light and dark continued here, with the pressure being exerted between the two clashing forces strong enough to disentegrate the strongest and thickest metal in ANY given universe.

_I'M_

A bright light, mixed with the dark purplish hue of evil and the bright white glow of the X-Blade, began emanating from the islet where the fight was taking place. The girl looked out her window with her grandmother holding onto her, and they both saw the emanating light, as if the sun was rising behind the island...

_MADE_

Several other people also saw the bright light, and the stormy skies, still booming with thunder, intensified, although the strong winds stopped.

_OF_

With the dangerous winds over, nearly everyone made their way outside to look at the light. From what they could see, it was as if the island was some sort of symbol; the aura of the light was glowing, illuminating every detail of the edges of the island as if it were some sort of mail stamp.

_nooooww...._

The auburn-haired girl stared on, her hands clutched together gently, as if she was praying. "Sora..." she muttered quietly.

_Try to reach inside of me (Let me show you what I'm made of)_

Ventus-Roxas pushed his strength even farther, exerting, at this point, ALL of his energy. Namine, however, proved to be stronger, as the dark sphere continued to push closer. Zexion appeared behind Namine, and he opened his lexicon, getting an idea.

_Try to drain my energy (Let me show you what I'm made of)_

Zexion's lexicon then began sucking in everything in front of it with a powerful suction force. However, Namine's power was not swayed, and only a few small bits of ripped cloth went into the lexicon.

_Let me show you just..._

The girl's voice, despite being far away, then rung inside Ventus-Roxas's ears. "Sora..." Ventus-Roxas heard.

_WHAT_

Ventus-Roxas's eyes opened wide, before he also shouted. "KAIRI!" Ventus-Roxas shouted. He didn't know who Kairi was, or what she meant...but then Ventus-Roxas gained a powerful surge of energy from within.

_I'M_

"KINGDOM HEARTS WILL BE FREE!" Ventus-Roxas shouted over the chaos, as the X-Blade's beam of light then pierced directly through the dark sphere, destroying it almost instantly as the enlarged beam of light shot towards Namine.

_MADE_

Namine's eyes widened as the beam of light pierced directly through her chest; the beam of light was caught in Zexion's lexicon's suction field, creating a pole of light that Namine couldn't escape from.

_OF!_

The beam of light then disappeared just as brightly as it came, signaling the power coming from the combined 4 Keyblade wielders (or 7, if you included Ventus's, Sora's, and Xion's essences) was depleted. The ocean, still violent, began to calm, although it was still in toil. The storm clouds in the sky began to cease flashing with lightning and their booms of thunder began to decrease to nothing. The clouds didn't disappear, but they rolled over the skies past Destiny Islands and the mainland like normal clouds. The sky was still dark, but it was gradually growing brighter and brighter as minutes passed. Zexion shut his lexicon and stopped the suction power he was undergoing, before using his last bit of magic power to cast an Aero spell that made him glide to the island. Ventus-Roxas, still internally glowing, sighed a bit from exhaustion, before lightly landing back on the beach in front of everyone else. Namine, her body shuddering and her eyes twitching, slowly reached her right hand up and put it over her wound from the light beam.

"...Rox...as..." Namine uttered, her eyes wide, before she began falling. Namine, as she fell, began fading from existance, as proved by the ends of her toes, fingers, hair, and dress begin to fade away into small wisps of air as she turned quite literally to nothing. As she fell, a voice echoed in her head. Xion's voice.

"Now do you see?" Xion's voice echoed. "It was futile from the start."

Namine's disappearing essence began releasing the uncountable integer of hearts that she had absorbed from Kingdom Hearts. "Roxas's mission was to free Kingdom Hearts," Xion's voice echoed. "I never thought he'd manage it...I actually was just spinning my wheels whenever I was dying..."

"What...what do you mean?" Namine's normal voice echoed inside her own head.

"I never thought Roxas would be able to free Kingdom Hearts," Xion's voice admitted. "But...when he defeated Riku in battle...and then when he took down Sai"X...despite him losing to Xaldin afterwards, I knew he could do it. Even though he did stray off the path...he still won."

"But...why? I just wanted to prevent the darkness from spreading again...that's how all the worlds began..." Namine's voice countered, in a weakening tone of voice.

"No one truly knows how the worlds began, Namine," Xion's voice explained. "I do know from the memory of Ventus here that there was a world of pure light about a decade ago. But darkness still sprouted from it in the form of Xehanort."

"...so...it was all...just a mistake?" Namine's voice cried.

"Yes. But you're not alone," Xion's voice softly answered. Inside Namine's mind, the normal, blonde, and white-dressed Namine was also disappearing, until a see-through Xion appeared in front of her. The see-through Xion extended her hand to Namine, smiling.

"Why...?" Namine asked. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because you helped me, Namine. The day I came to find out what to do to wake Sora," Xion explained, smiling. "You don't have to disappear for eternity. I didn't."

"...but I...I killed you..." Namine cried.

"No. It was my choice to go away," Xion explained. "I only let myself "die" during that fight because I wanted Roxas to unleash his true strength. And he did...in the form of Sora."

"...Sora..." Namine softly sighed.

"Are you coming?" Xion asked, her hand still extended.

"To where?" Namine asked, her voice laced with curiosity, despite it being weak.

"...home," Xion answered. Namine smiled gently, before taking Xion's hand in hers. Immediately, the entire inner part of Namine's mind began glowing white, as Namine and Xion both began to cross over into their permanent home. In the real world, the physical body of Namine shed a lone tear as the fading body hit the ocean, before disappearing forever. Ventus-Roxas and the others all saw one final heart rise from the ocean, disappearing into the sky as it did so.

"...we did it!" Riku shouted, clutching his hand in his fist.

"It's over," Aqua sighed, smiling.

"Gosh, you all did great!" the King laughed, now ecstatic with happiness. Zexion flipped his hair stylishly.

"Did you ever doubt?" Zexion chuckled. Riku turned to Zexion, a bit miffed at him.

"Now, what do we do with you, Zexion?" Riku sarcastically asked. Zexion just rubbed the back of his head with his hand.

"Good question," Zexion answered. "But don't call me Zexion. He died at Castle Oblivion."

"Well, then, I guess we have to say this," Aqua began, smiling. "Thank you, Ienzo."

"I'm sorry I caused all you trouble. I know I'm a Nobody, but..." Zexion began. The King just laughed.

"Gosh, you don't need to apologize! You proved to us even Nobodies can exist as happy beings!" the King laughed. Zexion just looked at everyone, and, for once, felt a small shred of the emotion of happiness. In his past as a member of Organization XIII, Zexion couldn't tell if it was a memory of happiness or not whenever he felt that way, but this time he truly felt it. He truly felt emotion.

"Aqua, Your Majesty, Riku...thanks," Zexion uttered, smiling happily for once in his life. Ventus-Roxas stood, staring out at the oceans, smiling himself.

"...it's over...Kingdom Hearts is freed..." Ventus-Roxas uttered, smiling as he said so. Aqua turned to him, worried.

"You won't try to pull that stunt again, right?" Aqua asked. Ventus-Roxas just looked on, out at the ocean's horizon. The dark clouds were, at the horizon, becoming few, which was a relief for Ventus-Roxas's eyes.

**(Cue Roxas's theme.)**

"There is no point...I used too much power anyway..." Ventus-Roxas chuckled, before swaying a bit. Aqua and everyone saw this, gasping, before Ventus-Roxas fell backwards. Aqua caught him as he fell, and Ventus-Roxas's body began glowing lightly.

"What's going on...?" Riku asked. "You're complete...why are you fading?"

"Simple. Sora existed first. He needs to return to this world," Ventus-Roxas answered. "...I fused with his comatose body temporarily...only to ensure Kingdom Hearts would be freed..."

"You don't have to fade!" the King shouted.

"Listen to me. All of you," Ventus-Roxas ordered. Everyone was silent as he continued. "I'm not fading by my own choice. If you put your whole being into an attack...well, a Nobody goes kaput. That's that."

"But you're whole..." Aqua pointed out.

"No. I just used Sora's body as a base for my own so I could end this trouble here for good...now he can wake up with his memories intact...hehe...we won!" Ventus-Roxas chuckled. Everyone was speechless as Ventus-Roxas lightly chuckled. "I can't change it now...I'm going to fade soon..."

"...can you at least explain to us what will happen next?" Zexion asked.

"Yeah, I have an idea," Ventus-Roxas answered. "This body...of the Keyblader Ventus...is only an illusion made by our fusion. Hehe. It rhymed..."

Aqua released a bit of a smile, at least happy knowing the true Roxas was still there. "So...maybe the real Ventus will awake...I don't know for sure, so don't get your hopes up..." Ventus-Roxas warned.

"Don't worry. I've been waiting for 10 years. Seeing you in action at least was a nice treat, but I can keep waiting for my friend," Aqua chuckled. Ventus-Roxas relaxed his head a bit, as the illusion of Ventus's body began to glow brighter, before parts of it began fading.

"As for me...I'll probably become one with Sora...so...I have a request. Tell Sora EVERYTHING that has happened here," Ventus-Roxas asked. Zexion just stood there, before getting his own lexicon out.

"I still have...the darker memories from your previous excursion..." Zexion admitted. "The beam of light that was absorbed into my lexicon from your X-Blade contained those memories. I assume I should tell him that, too?"

"I said everything. It's not like I'll be around much longer to hear it..." Ventus-Roxas chuckled. The King just walked over to Ventus-Roxas's side, obviously saddened by this situation.

"So, Sora will wake up? And maybe Ventus?" the King asked. Ventus-Roxas smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. And, before I go...look around you Riku," Ventus-Roxas uttered. Riku did so, and just saw the islands he grew up on as a child.

"You're home, Riku..." Ventus-Roxas uttered again. Riku just gasped as soon as he realized that; he knew he was home for the past hour or so, but he never took in that reaction until just now. "You...Sora...and that girl...what was her name?"

"Kairi," Riku answered bluntly. Aqua seemed to recognize the name, but she didn't say anything for now.

"Yes...you three...can live as friends again...now if you don't mind, I have to return to my friends...Axel and Xion..." Ventus-Roxas sighed. "I won...and now the worlds are safe..."

"We won't forget you Roxas," Aqua soothed. The Ventus illusion began to fade, replacing the disappearing Ventus-Roxas with Sora's body. Everyone was silent as Ventus-Roxas took his last breath in before fading away forever. But as he took that lone breath, he remembered all the good times he had with Axel and Xion, even if they were fake. The time they pranked Demyx with that Heartless infestation. The time they stole Sai"X's claymore and hid it in Luxord's room. Even the time he and Xion kissed. As the oxygen flowed through Ventus-Roxas's veins one final time, he also remembered what Xion had said to him as she faded away.

"_You're both my best friends. Never forget...that's the truth," _Ventus-Roxas remembered. He then let out one sole smile as the entire illusion of him faded away completely, now going to the unknown abyss that all Nobodies go to when their time is up for them. Roxas felt truly at peace now, as his lingering essence continued to disappear. Roxas smiled with true peace now, as the thought finally hit him. There was only one thing left to do now. Roxas had finally finished his mission.

Time to RTC.

**Is it me, or did the ENTIRE song fit Roxas, Xion, and Organization XIII!?**

**I mean, 'Try to drain my energy!?' Xion!**

**'One by one they all become a number as they fall!?' ORGANIZATION XIII!**

**'Is it me you say you're looking for!?' ROXAS FTW!**

**It's offical. Crush 40 rocks all fics. XD**

**Now for the actual ending footnotes...(Ahem)...now what happens to Roxas? FIND OUT NEXT TIME ON THE SECOND-TO-LAST CHAPTER OF KINGDOM HEARTS: FOR TRUE STORY!**


	22. Another Side, Another Story

**Roxas is gone...Namine is gone...Axel is gone...so now what? Read to find out the suprising ending to Kingdom Hearts: For True Story. Oh and one thing: I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT FINAL FANTASY VII: ADVENT CHILDREN IS! HOW DID I MAKE A REFERENCE TO IT LAST CHAPTER THEN!? HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE FOR ME!? Thank you, khfangirl, for pointing that out.**

**Also, be sure to have a seperate tab for KH music ready. It isn't required, but it is recommended for the scenes in this chapter.**

**NOTE: THE TRUE FINAL CHAPTER IS NOT THIS ONE, BUT THE NEXT ONE. Just making that clear. Why? It'll be explained...**

**(I bet if Square Enix read this entire chapter RIGHT NOW, they would make it a canon video game or at least A VIDEO GAME in general. Why? Read on, my patient fans...and thank you for your contributions to make this story awesome.)**

_Chapter Twenty-Two: Another Side, Another Story_

The beast-like creature swiped his claws at the Universed mercilessly, slashing each and every one of them to pieces while doing so. The beast-like creature was about to unleash one final swipe against a large Universed to down it, but then each of the Universed screeched out in pain. The beast backed up as each of the Universed flailed around in some sort of seizure-like posture, until all of the Universed harassing the beastly creature faded instantly into dark wisps of smoke that flew into the starry night sky. The beast like creature looked around, confused, until several small Shadow Heartless appeared. Shrugging, the beastly creature went back to slashing apart the Shadow Heartless, as if nothing had happened.

In a way, nothing DID happen. If by nothing, you meant a Nobody...

* * *

In the desert city of Agrabah, Aladdin and Jasmine were backed up into a wall, with several Universed looming over them. One large Universed prepared to take a swipe at the both of them to kill them, but then that Universed began twitching uncontrollably. Before long, each of the Universed attacking them began fading away into dark wisps of nothingness, giving Aladdin and Jasmine a huge relief.

"Well, I thought for sure those Heartless were going to get us good," Aladdin sighed.

"Talk about luck," Jasmine added. "We should probably check on the rest of the city, to make sure those Heartless are gone."

"Sure thing, Jasmine," Aladdin agreed, before realizing something was missing. "Hey, where'd Abu go?"

Said question was answered whenever a small monkey in a purple vest wearing a red cap ran by Aladdin and Jasmine, apparently carrying a large jewel in his furry little paws. A short peddler was chasing him, screaming at the monkey to stop running and hand over the jewel.

"Abu!" Aladdin shouted, before running off after the little monkey. Jasmine followed, rolling her eyes as she did so, as the hot desert sun continued to beat down upon the weary citizens in the dusty city of Agrabah.

Today, no darkness would consume the cloudless skies.

* * *

The blonde-haired boy and his fellow companions stood in the sandlot, watching in awe as the Universed that had dropped before them suddenly vanish into dark wisps of smoke that were clearly visible against the fall-leaf-orange hued sky. The blonde-haired kid had a blue foam bat with a plastic yellow handle in his right hand, and he raised it to the air in a victory pose.

"Haha! I knew I was the best at Struggle!" the boy shouted. The girl with brown hair clapped as she did so, smiling.

"Way to go, Hayner!" the girl laughed.

"Yeah, you sure showed whatever that thing was who's boss!" the other boy complimented. Hayner, the blonde-haired boy, smirked and spun his foam bat.

"Well, look who is it, fellas," another voice growled. Hayner and his two companions turned to see a tall teenager with a black beanie cap on his head, some grey strands of hair, white jeans, and a matching vest with a blue muscle shirt beneath. Behind the teen was a large, muscular male with black hair, tan pants, and an orange shirt. Next to him was a girl with grey hair, menacing red eyes, tan jeans, and a purple shirt. Hayner's face was immdiately disgusted upon their arrival.

"Seifer," Hayner growled. The man in the beanie just returned with an even darker gaze.

"Hayner, Pence, and Olette," Seifer, the man in the beanie, responded. "What are you three doing in our sandlot?"

"Yeah, Seifer's right, y'know!?" the large man reiterated.

"Trespassing," the girl added, emotionlessly. Pence, the boy in the red shirt, just sighed as Olette, the girl with brown hair, put her hands on her hips.

"This is everybody's sandlot, Seifer!" Olette shouted. Seifer just grinned, getting a foam bat of his own.

"Well, that's not very polite. After all, you can't talk to the head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee like that," Seifer chuckled. "Maybe a little Struggle will put you runts in your place."

"Fine! Bring it, Seifer!" Hayner growled, getting his own foam bat ready for combat. Pence and Olette moved back to the wooden benches to watch, while the large man and his female accomplice stayed where they were. Seifer and Hayner were the only two in the sandlot, with Seifer cockily pointing his foam bat at Hayner. Hayner had his foam bat in his right hand, spinning in a circle while lightly moving left to right on his fee, signaling his eagerness to battle.

"You're gonna lose to Seifer, y'know!?" the man shouted.

"Futile," the girl added on.

"You know, I might go easy on you if you get on your knees and beg for mercy," Seifer chuckled.

"Get real!" Hayner growled, before charging at Seifer. Seifer jumped into the air, pointing his foam bat downwards.

"ISN'T THIS ROMANTIC!?" Seifer shouted as he lunged in midair at Hayner. Hayner, with Pence and Olette cheering for him, got ready to counter Seifer, whom had the muscle man and the red-eyed girl rooting him on.

And as such, life continued on in quiet Twilight Town, with the sunset bathing over the autumn-colored city in peace, as the small children ran through the streets, eating ice cream happily.

* * *

Aqua, the King, Riku, and Zexion just stared downwards at Sora's body. Ventus-Roxas's illusion was now completely gone, and instead of the fading Ventus-Roxas in Aqua's arms, it was Sora in his traditional red clothing, yellow shoes, and black overshirt. He had obviously grown a lot in the past year of being asleep, as his clothes seemed to be too small to fit him now. The King just looked down at Sora, a bit saddened, until he remembered about the unconscious Goofy and Donald.

"Your Majesty?" Zexion asked. The King turned around to see what was wrong with Zexion, but he then saw Zexion standing with Donald and Goofy behind him. Both Donald and Goofy ran forward, grabbing the King and hugging him tightly as they did so.

"Your Majesty!" Donald shouted in his scratchy voice.

"Ah-yuck! I knew we'd find ya someday!" Goofy laughed in his laidback and drawling voice. The King laughed, hugging his close friends back. Zexion smiled again, before walking past the three to Riku and Aqua.

"So. If they're awake..." Zexion sighed.

"Sora should wake up soon," Riku noted. "Namine's job is done."

"Riku!? Riku, is that you!?" a voice shouted. Riku and Zexion turned around to see the girl in the pink dress from before running towards him. Behind her was a small wooden boat that she had used to get here from the mainland apparently. Riku smiled as the girl ran all the way to him, smiling.

"Kairi," Riku acknowledged. Kairi, the girl in the pink dress, smiled a bit.

"I'm glad to see you safe again. Did Sora save you from the Door to Darkness?" Kairi asked. Riku just thought this over, before smiling.

"Yeah, but you could say he had some help," Riku chuckled. At that moment, Sora's body began twitching. Aqua saw this, gasping.

"He's waking up!" Aqua shouted. The King, Donald, and Goofy all stopped their embrace and ran to Sora's other side, to see what was about to happen. Riku and Zexion looked over Sora from their spots standing next to his head, and Kairi looked down at Sora, who was close to waking.

"Sora! What happened?" Kairi asked, worried.

"Sora...and Roxas...saved your home from annihlation," Aqua answered, smiling as saw Sora's eyes begin to open. Sora blinked a couple of times, before yawning and sitting up. Aqua backed off, smiling a bit as this happened.

"Wh-where am I? Home?" Sora asked. Kairi looked back at Riku, whom nodded.

"Sora," Kairi began, her voice soft and calm. Sora, suprised, gapsed a bit as he got up and turned around. Sora was even more suprised at the cast of people he saw before him: his longtime friend Riku, back from the realm of darkness, along with the King! Kairi, his old childhood friend, standing before him, smiling! His companions, Donald and Goofy, who were also smiling, were here too! Although Sora didn't recognize Zexion or Aqua, he immdiately knew they were both friendly from their outward appearances.

**(Cue Sora's theme.)**

"Kairi! Riku! Everyone!" Sora shouted happily. Donald and Goofy charged forwards first, knocking over Sora by hugging him closely. Aqua and Zexion got up and backed off a bit, to make room for Kairi, The King, and Riku as the three of them walked forward, smiling as they did so. Sora, having been given a bit of space from Donald and Goofy, looked up and saw Kairi smiling down at him. Sora reached his fingerless gloved hand into his pocket, and pulled out a star-shaped seashell Kairi had given to him nearly a year ago.

"We're...we're back! The three of us!" Sora laughed. Kairi just extended her hand.

"You're home," Kairi warmly acknowledged, as the clouds from before were now white, fluffy and peaceful, revealing the beaming sunlight upon the calm islands.

**(Cue Kingdom Hearts 1's Destiny Islands theme.)**

Sora took Kairi's hand, with the seashell in his hand as well, and was pulled up by her. Riku walked forward, grinning as he did so. He lightly patted Sora on the back, suprising him a bit.

"Well, Sora, you in for a story? Because you've missed out for the past year," Riku admitted. Sora was suprised as he heard this, as he stepped back in shock.

"Wait, what!? How long have I been out!?" Sora asked, obviously not expecting that response. Riku just laughed.

"You must be the real Sora. You're just as dumb and lazy as before," Riku chuckled.

"Say that again!" Sora retorted, half-annoyed yet half-relieved Riku was his old self. Riku just laughed again as he fist-tapped Sora on the chest.

"Yeah, you're the real deal, all right," Riku chuckled.

"Riku, what happened?" Donald asked, a bit confused.

"Yeah, ah-yuck," Goofy added. "I remember going to find the King, but everything after that's a big blank blot!"

Riku just sighed. "Well...this'll be quite a story to tell you guys...you sure you're ready?" Riku asked. Sora, Donald, and Goofy all looked at each other, confused. Even Kairi was confused.

"Well, what happened? Did we defeat Ansem?" Sora wondered. Riku smiled.

"Yeah, you did. But what happened afterwards..." Riku began, with Sora intently listening.

* * *

Roxas, now in his normal street clothes consisting of a white overshirt, a black muscle shirt beneath, tan jeans, and black-red-and-white shoes, floated through a dark void of space calmly and peacefully. He was silent as he did so, but his nose twitched slightly. He opened his sore eyes, having been blinded a bit by the light, before noticing he was floating in a dark void. Roxas looked around, before chuckling and speaking to himself.

"Well...this must be the next world..." Roxas sighed, before looking around. Nothing in sight. Nothing. How that one word just seemed to echo within him. Roxas floated there quietly, inside this dark space where time comes to a halt and space ceases to expand. Roxas just shut his tired eyes, and smirked.

"Hehe...guess that's it for me..." Roxas chuckled.

_It does not have to be._

_Roxas._

Roxas's eyes widened as he heard this voice. It sounded like a man's, but he couldn't tell for sure. "Who's there?" Roxas asked.

_Someone to guide you. That is who I am._

Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared beneath Roxas's legs. Roxas shielded his eyes as he waited for the bright light to stop. Whenever it did, Roxas looked down, and was amazed at what he saw. It was a circular platform similar to when he fought against Vanitas, but this time it was different looking. The glassy platform was split into three seperate sections. One section showed Sora, Kairi, and Riku sitting on the bent palm tree on the small island, back on Destiny Islands. A second section to the right showed Roxas, Xion, and Axel all sitting on the edge of Twilight Town's clock tower, eating their favorite ice cream happily. On the bottom, however, forming the third wedge was Aqua, Ventus, and a third being Roxas didn't recognize: a man with brown hair, lightly tanned skin, and a tough physique. Roxas was suprised, as he gently landed on the top of the platform, looking down at its light glow.

_You have friends. Correct?_

"Uh, yes. Yes I do," Roxas answered.

_I am intriqued by this one...the one you call Xion. She appears to be you._

"Yeah, I know that," Roxas again answered.

_I also see that you love her deeply. Does that not alarm you? That you've fallen for someone that is yourself in a different persona?_

"I don't find it disturbing," Roxas continued, his tone becoming a bit apprehensive. "Who are you anyway?"

_A voice that will guide you to your future._

As the voice said that, a large, intricate door appeared in front of Roxas. The door was a light purple in color, and it was apparently leading nowhere. Roxas stared at the door, confused.

_Open the door, Roxas. It will lead you to destiny._

"Okay, what does THAT mean?" Roxas growled, wanting an answered. No response came. "Hello?"

Still no answer. Roxas just shrugged it off and opened the door, another bright light emanating from it. "FREAKIN LIGHT! I get it!" Roxas moaned, covering his sensitive eyes from all of his encounters with the bright lights flashing in his face for the past couple of days. The bright light engulfed Roxas completely, much to his dismay. However, after a couple moments passed for him, Roxas knew he was somewhere else. Roxas couldn't feel the solid glass of the station he was at beneath his feet, but he instead felt some sort of wooden material. Roxas wasn't cold anymore from the desolate lonliness of the dark void he was in; now he was rather...warm, as if something was heating him up. There was also a strange presence blowing on Roxas's entire body.

"Wind..." Roxas recalled. "This is wind."

Roxas then opened his eyes, and winced as he painfully adjusted his probably (whenever he reached his old years) ruined vision to the new scenery. Whenever Roxas fully adjusted, he was several things at once.

Amazed.

Suprised.

Confused.

Intriqued.

Happy.

Ecstatic.

Roxas looked around at his current spot he was standing on. He was standing in the middle of the wooden bridge leading to the Destiny Islands's small minaturized island. Roxas could see two people sitting on the bent palm tree ahead of him, their dark silhouettes being exemplified by the golden sunset in the ocean's distance. Feeling something in his chest rise, Roxas lightly touched his chest with his hand, confused. It felt as if something was rising up within him, swelling up as if it were about to burst, metaphorically speaking. Roxas then took note of the emotions he was feeling; wasn't he just a Nobody?

"I see you are finally feeling your first taste of emotions," the voice began. Roxas, suprised, turned around and saw a figure walking towards him. Roxas gaped; the figure looked exactly like him! Roxas was suprised for a couple seconds, until his face turned into a smirk of understanding.

"You're Ventus, right? No wonder Aqua mistook me for you," Roxas chuckled. Ventus, the being who had spoken to Roxas just moments before, returned with a just as friendly smile.

"I can see why," Ventus joked. "So, are you enjoying your stay in the next world?"

Roxas looked around, happy, but confused as well; what could he call this feeling? "Yes, I like it, but...does everyone go to the Destiny Islands whenever they die?" Roxas asked. Ventus laughed.

"No, Roxas. Our hearts have mingled with Sora's heart. Therefore, this is the place we stay at until Sora dies," Ventus explained. "Of course, I'm not sure if we'll leave here or not when Sora passes in the future, decades from now, but we'll cross that bridge when the time comes."

"So...does that mean...?" Roxas asked.

"Although I'm still confused a bit on the subject matter, I can definitely say yes to your question," Ventus answered. Roxas didn't even need to ask how Ventus knew what Roxas was thinking; he just smiled, nodded, turned to the bent palm tree, and he ran. It was a short run, but Roxas felt as if he had just finished a long marathon, and he was the first to cross the finish line. Going to the front of the palm tree, Roxas was greeted at the sight of Xion and Axel, both of them standing there, eating ice cream bars, as if they were waiting.

"About time you showed up," Axel joked, waving his ice cream bar in the air as he did so. Roxas went slack-jawed in suprise, before looking at both of his friends. Xion returned a friendly gaze, a half-eaten ice cream bar in her hand.

"I'm suprised, Roxas," Xion chuckled. "You did it. You won."

Roxas just stood there, speechless. "Well, now, are you gonna act like a zombie like the first day we met, or are you gonna enjoy yourself?" Axel asked, chuckling as he did so. Roxas looked down at the ground, his facial expression saddened.

"But Axel...I...I killed you..." Roxas sighed, feeling a crushing wave of sadness hit him for the first time. Or maybe the second. Who knows?

"I don't let little details like that get my mood sour," Axel laughed, continuing to eat the ice cream bar. Roxas snapped his head up, suprised.

"But why? I was a complete jerk to you!" Roxas shouted.

**(Cue Friends In My Heart.)**

"Simple. We're friends, Roxas. Got it memorized?" Axel answered, finishing off his ice cream bar as he did so. Axel looked at the stick, before smiling and turning the flat side to Roxas. Roxas stared at the ice cream stick, his eyes glowing with emotion Roxas couldn't understand. Yet he didn't want to. The ice cream stick said "WINNER" on it, with a small crown symbol at the top.

"Well, whaddya know?" Axel joked. "I'm a WINNER."

Xion began laughing her cute little laugh again. "Oh, come on! That's the fifth one today!" Xion chuckled.

"Well, I can help it if I'm a WINNER, huh?" Axel laughed. Roxas began laughing with Xion and Axel, finally feeling happiness for the first time ever. Axel then gave Roxas the WINNER stick, smiling.

"Here ya go, Roxas. You left this on my windowsill the day you left. Might as well return it," Axel smirked. Roxas just held the wooden stick in his hand, and smiled. Who knew something so insignificant could be the staple of emotion such as this?

"...you guys are the best. I'm sorry for hurting you both," Roxas apologized. Xion just chuckled.

"Oh, come on, Roxas. Like we actually cared if you hurt us or not. We're still pals," Xion answered. Roxas just turned to her, smiling.

"So...those "diary" entries I've been finding...let me guess: you wrote them when you were still Namine's notebook?" Roxas laughed. Xion just flipped her hair.

"I can't help it if I'm an open book," Xion joked. Roxas and Axel both laughed, despite that pun being a groan-inducing one.

"Man, Xion, that was bad!" Roxas chuckled. Xion huffed, before turning away.

"Well, I didn't see you go to find the rest of my little Xion Reports," Xion sighed. "After all, it took me a long time to figure out where to put them all! You could've at least checked Twilight Town a bit more, and did I find a place in Agrabah and Beast's Castle that would've made you laugh..."

Roxas felt a bit embarrassed, and looked down at the sand beneath his shoes. "I'm sorry," Roxas apologized. Xion, smirking, decided to mess with Roxas further.

"Sorry? Man, I poured a lot of my emotion in those things, you know. Besides, Axel here did a better job finding those things that you have, and someone had to show you one!" Xion sighed. Roxas just looked up, a bit annoyed.

"Hey, I was trying to finish your mission!" Roxas shouted. Xion just laughed again.

"Man, Roxas, I'm kidding! Relax," Xion sighed. Xion then finished off her ice cream stick, before making another ice cream bar appear in her hand. Roxas stepped back, amazed.

"How did you-!?" Roxas asked.

"Well, we can make anything appear thanks to our memories being connected to Sora's. So if we've seen it, or Sora has seen it, we can forge it," Xion answered, before pointing her finger to her forehead. "Got it memorized?"

"Hey, don't replicate my catchphrase!" Axel joked. Roxas and Xion both laughed at this as well.

"Well, can you teach me how to do that?" Roxas asked. Xion just thought about it for a moment, rubbing her chin as she did so.

**(Cue Bustin Up On The Beach.)**

"Mayyyybe...but you have to catch me first!" Xion laughed, before jumping into the air and gliding off towards the main land. Roxas, stunned, soon gave chase, laughing as he did so. Axel just looked on, smiling. Ventus saw Xion and Roxas begin chasing each other like idiots, and he smiled while doing so. Axel walked onto the wooden bridge over to Ventus, with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

"You do know he can just make his own ice cream bar by thinking of it, right?" Axel rhetorically asked.

"Yeah, but let's see how long he goes before figuring that out," Ventus chuckled.

"I'll get the camera," Axel laughed.

"Those two are so happy..." another voice mentioned. Axel and Ventus turned to face a very timid Namine slowly walking up to the two of them. Axel just smiled upon seeing the blonde-haired Nobody.

"Well, little Miss Rebellious. How's the artwork coming along?" Axel joked. Namine just shuddered.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-!" Namine cried, before Ventus placed a hand on her shouder.

"You don't need to worry. You just got confused," Ventus soothed. Namine just looked up, still scared.

"What do you mean?" Namine wondered.

"Oh, come now. You had power, and you made mistakes. That happens to everyone. Don't sweat it," Ventus chuckled, before walking off. "Now, if you excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

"And where are you going?" Axel asked.

"...to my home," Ventus answered, before disappearing. Axel and Namine stood there, before they both released a smile. Namine and Axel turned and faced Xion and Roxas, and Axel barely missed being barreled over by Xion, who was now going as fast as possible to escape Roxas's ice cream rampage.

"Hey, watch it!" Axel shouted, suprised. Everyone just let out a laugh as they continued to enjoy themselves for the rest of their days.

Now, who wants some ice cream?

* * *

Sora stood in shock as Riku and the others had just finished explaining what had happened during his slumber. Sora just crossed his arms, before speaking.

"So...a Nobody created by my turning into a Heartless was a bad guy who turned good after killing...himself, or herself...then he beat Riku, teamed up with a dark me and replica of Riku, before killing most of the Organization, saving me, and defeating Namine? That's...that's confusing!" Sora whined. "How could that have happened while I was asleep? I mean, why didn't anyone wake me up?"

"It wasn't that simple, Sora," Riku added.

"Yeah, I know, but still! Man, if that final fight was as awesome as you guys said it was..." Sora then sighed, sad he missed such a spectacular sight. Kairi just chuckled.

"Well, that's what you get for snoozing off as usual," Kairi laughed.

"See, Sora? That's what you get for not working on the raft," Riku chuckled, sparking an old flame for the fun of it. Sora turned to him, irritated.

"Hey! I was busy!" Sora retorted.

"Sleeping. Jeez, if you keep lazing off, you'll never find the right time to use the paopu fruit..." Riku chuckled. Kairi blushed a bit as Riku mentioned this, and Sora just ran after Riku. Riku ran off, laughing as he did so, feeling like it was just another day on Destiny Islands.

"Take that back Riku! Get over here!" Sora shouted, flailing his Keyblade like a wooden sword as he said so.

"Oh, by the way, Roxas says sorry for using your Keyblade without your permission!" Riku laughed.

"Wait, he did WHAT with my Keyblade!?" Sora shouted. "Hey, get over here!"

Kairi laughed with the King, Goofy, and Donald as Sora and Riku continued to chase each other like bumbling idiots. "Some things never change..." Kairi sighed. Zexion and Aqua looked at each other, before nodding. Zexion opened a dark portal behind him, before turning back to Aqua.

"We've got to go..." Zexion reminded Aqua.

"Right...take care of yourself, Your Majesty," Aqua politely regarded. The King just nodded and smiled.

"Just make sure to find a safe way home," the King ordered. "We don't want to lose you to the dark realm again."

Aqua smiled. "Don't worry. That won't happen twice," Aqua reassured. Aqua then walked into the dark portal with Zexion, the dark gate shutting behind them. The King turned back and continued to watch Sora and Riku run around like bumbling idiots. The King also noted that Kairi, Goofy, and Donald had joined in the chase too; the King just smiled.

"Aw, what the heck?" the King asked himself, before running off to join his friends.

* * *

Aqua and Zexion walked through the dark realm safely and quietly, before the exiting portal opened up in front of them. Walking out of the portal, Aqua and Zexion ended up standing inside the main hall of Castle Oblivion itself. Zexion looked at Aqua, confused.

"Let me guess: Ventus?" Zexion rhetorically asked. Aqua just walked up to the first door leading to the upper floors, with Zexion following. Before Zexion could open it, however, Aqua got out her Keyblade and pointed it directly at the door. Aqua's Keyblade got another circle of light around its edge, before the light turned into a light beam that shot out and hit the lock on the door she was in front of. Zexion and Aqua watched as the door opened slowly, and instead of revealing a white room (the ones Zexion and the other Organization members were used to back in their original mission to Castle Oblivion), the door revealed a white staircase leading downstairs. Aqua began walking downstairs, and Zexion followed her, suprised.

"_This wasn't here last time..." _Zexion thought.

"Ventus's body and the Chamber Of Awakening are down here," Aqua explained. "I purposely sealed this room so only my Keyblade could open it."

"So, we were spinning our wheels trying to find the chamber, then..." Zexion sighed.

"So, why did you guys come here anyway?" Aqua wondered.

"Xemnas wanted us to look around here for the Chamber of Awakening," Zexion explained.

"...have you seen a man named Terra at all?" Aqua asked.

"No. Sorry," Zexion answered. Aqua just shut her eyes.

"It's okay. We're here anyway," Aqua noted. Zexion looked ahead and saw a large door in front of them. Aqua unlocked the door the same way she had done so with the previous door, and both of them walked inside. Zexion and Aqua were greeted with three empty chairs in front of them. While Zexion was amazed at being the only Organization member to see this room, Aqua was mortified.

"Where's Ventus's body!?" Aqua shouted, her jaw slacked open again. A small chuckle released itself from the room, making Aqua get her Keyblade ready and Zexion pull out his lexicon. Of course, the chuckle revealed itself to be the finally moving body of Ventus, who walked out from behind the chairs, smiling.

"Hey, Aqua," Ventus laughed.

**(Cue Aqua's theme.)**

"V...Ventus!?" Aqua gasped. Zexion put away his lexicon, smiling.

"I knew we'd see him again," Zexion chuckled. Ventus looked at Zexion, seeing a small boy in a white lab coat for a brief second.

"Hey, I remember you...Ienzo!" Ventus noted. "You were the kid being harassed by the Universed back at Radiant Garden! How goes your life?"

"...um...wow, so Roxas really was in control...do you remember fighting Vanitas at all recently?" Zexion asked. Ventus just shrugged.

"I dunno. Must've skipped my mind," Ventus sarcastically laughed. While Zexion stood there confused, Aqua ran up and threw her arms around her old friend.

"Ten years, Ventus! Ten years and I knew you would wake up someday!" Aqua laughed, crying tears of joy as she did so.

"Don't you mean eleven?" Ventus joked. Aqua just pulled out of the hug, smiling.

"Man, you sound just like Roxas," Aqua laughed.

"Speaking of Roxas, I just saw him before I returned to the real world," Ventus noted. Aqua was suprised upon hearing this, and so was Zexion.

"What was he doing?" Zexion asked.

"He was enjoying his time with his friends," Ventus answered. "Now, how about we find Terra so we three can be pals again? After all..."

Ventus then pulled out a good luck charm Aqua had given him and Terra nearly one dozen years ago. Despite it having been covered in dust in some places, it still looked new. "...you said these three charms of yours would bring us together again one day," Ventus reminded. Aqua just smiled, before turning to Zexion.

"Ienzo," Aqua began. "I guess our path splits here."

Zexion looked bewildered again. "What do you mean? You can't cross the realm of darkness by yourself!" Zexion mentioned. Aqua just put her hands on her hips.

"Ahem. Where have I been the last decade?" Aqua reminded Zexion. "Why don't you "apply yourself," Ienzo?"

Zexion groaned at the use of his own line being used against him, before smiling. "Okay, fine, fine. I trust you to be safe. Hope you find Terra," Zexion wished.

"Where are you going, Ienzo?" Ventus wondered.

"To my true home. Radiant Garden," Zexion answered. "But I have to make one final stop before I can retire there and continue my stepdad's legacy."

"Take as much time as you need, Ienzo. When we find Terra, we'll be waiting," Aqua noted. Zexion nodded, before opening a dark portal beneath him.

"Goodbye," Zexion noted as he disappeared into the dark portal he made. Aqua and Ventus stood there, before Aqua opened her own dark portal. Ventus was shocked upon seeing this.

"Woah! Aqua, don't tell me you lost your heart to the darkness?" Ventus asked. Aqua just chuckled.

"No. Here, I'll tell you on the way," Aqua noted, taking Ventus into the dark portal with her. The portal shut, leaving behind the Room of Awakening and Castle Oblivion forever.

* * *

Zexion let out his dark portal back in front of the Memory's Skyscraper. The rain was falling as usual, but now everything was eerily quiet. Other than the falling rain, there wasn't any Heartless, Nobody, or Universed roaming about. Zexion still saw, with disgust, the dead remnants of the Heartless group that had lost against the Universed horde. Zexion also saw the broken Riku-Replica lying in front of the Memory's Skyscraper. Thinking it over for a moment, Zexion picked up the Riku-Replica, and he began walking towards a new dark portal he opened up. Several seconds later, Zexion had appeared within the Castle That Never Was, in his old room. Zexion set down the Riku-Replica in his old bed, before turning to his soon-to-be-old desk. Grabbing a piece of paper from some notebooks he had in a shelf and a pencil from a small pencil tin atop his desk, Zexion began to write out a short but sweet note.

_Riku-Replica. This is the old Number VI, Zexion. You know, the Cloaked Schemer? I don't know if you will ever read this. If you are, however, you shall be pleased to know that Namine and Vanitas have been stopped by Aqua, Roxas, the King, Riku, and myself. Roxas has faded away, unfortunatly, but now Sora has awoken. If you wake up and read this, the halls will be empty of life. This dead world is now truly dead. Not even a Dusk or a Shadow fleets these streets anymore. And certainly no Universed still remains. If you need anything, do not hesitate to go to Radiant Garden. Nowadays, the people call it Hollow Bastion. I will be taking my stepdad's footsteps and I will be returning the city to its former glory alongside Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith._

_From now on, you can forget about Organization XIII and dark manipulation. Because all of that is finally over._

_I'll be waiting for you to return with each passing day, my friend._

_-Ienzo_

Zexion folded the note carefully and wrote "RIKU-REPLICA" in large, solid letters on the back of the letter, before using some tape to keep the letter stuck to the desk. Zexion turned back to the Riku-Replica, who was peacefully lying on the bed. Zexion sighed, before walking into a bathroom door with a handful of clothes in hand. After a couple minutes of changing, Zexion walked back outside to his room wearing blue jeans, black tennis shoes, and a black t-shirt with the Organization insignia on it; the words "Just a Nobody" were labeled over the insignia, like a normal t-shirt. Zexion opened a dark portal and left the Riku-Replica on his old bed, before going to a different room within the castle. This room looked similar to a graveyard, with large plates standing high, resembling the Organization's weapons with an ethereal symbol within the gravestones. There were also platforms on the base of the gravestones that were color-coded to show whether an Organization member was alive or not. Zexion took a look around to make sure.

Xemnas. He didn't have a tombstone, but he knew he was gone.

Xigbar. Red. Gone.

Xaldin. Red. Gone.

Vexen. Red. Gone.

Lexaeus. Red. Gone.

Sai"X. Red. Gone.

Axel. Red. Gone.

Demyx. Red. Gone.

Luxord. Red. Gone.

Marluxia. Red. Gone.

Larxene. Red. Gone.

Roxas. Red. Gone.

The only tombstone there that was blue was Zexion's own tombstone, which still shone brightly. Zexion opened his final dark portal that he hoped he would ever open in his life, and he was about to step through it, when a voice called out to him.

"Excuse me?" the voice asked. Zexion noted it was feminine, and he turned around, half-expecting to see Aqua, Larxene, or Xion. Instead, Zexion saw a girl in the Organization's cloak with long, curled, brown hair that reached the end of her back. She had curious brown eyes, a tanned skin tone, and seemed to be just a tiny bit shorter than Zexion himself. The girl appeared to be confused, until Zexion spoke up.

"Who are you?" Zexion asked.

"Abinixia. But people call me Abi for short," Abinixia answered. She appeared lost as she said that. "Do you know where I am?"

"...you're in a world where a girl like yourself shouldn't exist. I was about to return to Radiant Garden, or Hollow Bastion, as they call it nowadays," Zexion answered. Abinixia tilted her head.

"Hollow Bastion? Why does that sound so familiar...?" Abinixia wondered. Zexion just looked at her, before thinking critically.

"_She must be a Nobody from Hollow Bastion...from the looks of it, a new one," _Zexion thought.

"How about you come with me to Hollow Bastion?" Zexion offered. "I was heading there anyway, and maybe I could help you out."

Abinixia looked at Zexion, half-confused, but half-happy. "_He's helping me...? ...he seems okay...and a bit cute..." _Abinixia thought, before giggling. "Sure thing...! Um...what is your name again?"

Zexion stood there, before giving a warm smile. "_Zexion died long ago in Castle Oblivion. Even if I have no heart, I have a chance to start over..." _Zexion thought.

"My name is Ienzo. But most people call me Zex as a nickname," Zexion answered. Abinixia smiled cutely, before walking over to him.

"Well, Zex, then thank you for helping me!" Abinixia thanked. Zexion smiled.

"You're welcome, Abi," Zexion answered, before walking into the dark portal with Abinixia. The dark portal shut behind them, forever leaving behind The World That Never Was. The light of Kingdom Hearts silently shone over the darkened city, as the neon lights of the Dark City continued to flicker and crackle within the thundering clouds and near-constant rainfall. The majestic beauty of Kingdom Hearts would forever be sealed away from the darkness of people's hearts now.

And should it ever rise again, the Keyblade Masters will return to liberate it from destruction.

But that was a story best saved for another time.

* * *

**(And now the part of the chapter that will turn this fic canon...and earn me some flames. Also, cue Riku's theme.)**

Roxas, Xion, and Axel all sat silently on the bent palm tree, eating ice cream silently. They all began speaking to each other, but no words came out. While they were speaking, Roxas's voice came up as a monolouge over all speech and sound.

_We all were reunited that day._

For some strange reason, the scene began to play backwards._  
_

_We talked and spoke happily with each other._

The backwards scene continued, going past Zexion's, Abinixia's, and the Riku-Replica's endings._  
_

_We reminisced on old times, good, bad, funny, and sad._

The reverse of scenes went faster, now going past Roxas's, Namine's, Xion's, and Axel's endings._  
_

_We spoke about random stuff to each other, like if Sai"X was nicer or if Xigbar was a wimp like Demyx._

Why is everything going in reverse...? Now we passed up Ventus-Roxas's and Namine's battle over Destiny Islands._  
_

_It was hilarious comparing some Organization members to the others, or switching personalities between them._

Now the current scene was playing back Ventus-Roxas's and Vanitas's battle._  
_

_I mean, Axel's latest one was the best: Xemnas with Demyx's personality._

The giant, 3-way battle between the Heartless, the rebellious Organization members, and the still-loyal Organization XIII was speeding by now._  
_

_THAT was funnier than...well, anything in my opinion._

Now the scene where Roxas went brutally insane against Organization XIII was playing backwards._  
_

_We soon got to talking about what-ifs._

The scene of Roxas teaming up with the rebellious Organization members, Anti-Sora, Anti-Roxas, and the Riku-Replica now began playing backwards._  
_

_Like: what-if Axel gave out the missions instead of Sai"X?_

Now Roxas's fight against the Riku-Replica in Hollow Bastion played backwards, but this time the reversal was going slower...was this strange anomaly slowing down to a halt?_  
_

_What-if Xaldin was nicer than he usually is?_

Roxas's awakening next to Namine, Leon, and Yuffie in that lone room in Hollow Bastion played back as well, with the reversal continuing to slow down to a halt._  
_

_But, one what-if Xion said really got me to thinking, even to this day._

Now Roxas's fight against Sai"X back in the Hall of Empty Melodies was playing backwards, as if someone had hit the rewind button on a television remote..._  
_

_That what-if Xion said..._

Finally, the rewind stopped directly at Roxas's and Riku's battle in front of the Memory's Skyscraper, with Riku sitting on the ground and Roxas ready to strike him._  
_

_...was what-if I had lost the fight against Riku?_

"Why!? Why do you have the Keyblade!?" Riku shouted, wearing his black blindfold like before. Roxas, with his dark hood up, just gripped his Oathkeeper Keyblade tighter.

"Shut up!" Roxas shouted, bringing down the Oathkeeper Keyblade to knock out Riku.

However, this time, the two blades connected.

Riku shot around as fast as he could, blocking Roxas's shot and sending him flying backwards while doing so. Roxas slammed into the ground, and he barely saw Riku get up and begin walking over to him before he lost consciousness. Riku walked over to Roxas, and, carefully positioning the Oblivion Keyblade he held, threw it directly into the concrete next to where Roxas lied. The heavy rainfall from above continued to pour down upon the two, with the only sounds being the crackling of the neon lights. Riku gasped a bit as he heard some moaning from Roxas, and Riku took a small step backwards at Roxas got a hold on his Oblivion Keyblade and sliced at Riku. Riku jumped backwards, avoiding the near-fatal slash, before Roxas charged desperately at him. Riku, in defense, fired a dark fireball at Roxas, but Roxas merely slashed it in two. Riku barely missed another downwards slash from Roxas, and Roxas turned around to face Riku, who was standing a considerable distance away from him.

"Why don't you quit!?" Roxas shouted. Riku stood there, silent, before speaking up.

"Come on Sora. I thought you were stronger than that," Riku taunted. Roxas appeared suprised, before going back to his retorting attitude.

"Get real! Look which one of us is winning!" Roxas countered, before gasping and holding up his left hand to his mouth. "_Why did I just say that...?"_

"So it's true. You really are his Nobody. Guess DiZ was right after all..." Riku sighed. Roxas just gripped his hand in anger, before shouting.

"What are you talking about!?" Roxas shouted. "I am me!"

Roxas then summoned in his left hand his Oathkeeper Keyblade. "NOBODY ELSE!" Roxas shouted, before charging at Riku again. Roxas jumped into the air and did a downwards slash in the form of an "X," which Riku dodged. However, Roxas used his momentum to turn around and slice at Riku again; this would've knocked out Riku, had he not put up a dark shield at the last second, which absorbed the attack and just merely pushed Riku away. The power from the blow made Riku fall to his knees, holding himself up by his one hand. In Riku's mind, he heard Xion's uneasy, and obviously worried voice.

"_Riku, please! You have to stop him!" _Xion pleaded.

"_He'll die if this keeps up..." _Riku realized in that instant. He knew that Roxas, in his current state, wouldn't last against Organization XIII. Riku then slowly got up, much to Roxas's chagrin.

"How many times do I have to beat you!?" Roxas shouted.

"All right...you've left me with no other choice..." Riku groaned, getting himself mentally prepared for what he was about to do next.

"What?" Roxas asked, confused. Riku just reached his hand for his dark headband covering his eyes.

"I have to release the power in my heart--the dark power that I've been holding back," Riku moaned, removing the black headband from his eyes. "Even...if it changes me forever!"

Riku then screamed out in frustration, as a dark orb surrounded him, shooting dark columns into the sky as it did so. Roxas got both his Keyblades ready, prepared to take down whatever appeared out of the dark orb. However, Riku-Ansem emerged from the dark orb with his Guardian Heartless, which stunned Roxas; why did Riku look so much like Xemnas now...? Roxas couldn't answer that question, however, as Riku-Ansem appeared right in front of Roxas instantly. The Guardian Heartless sprung its lengthy arms out and crushed Roxas's chest while lifting him into the air. Roxas moaned out in pain several times, before dropping both his Keyblades to the concrete ground. They both disappeared before they even settled on the ground. Roxas began drifting out of consciousness at that moment, while Riku-Ansem uttered four words in complete determination.

"I have accepted it."

* * *

Several minutes passed after this battle had went underway. The Guardian Heartless was gone, Riku-Ansem having dismissed it using his power. Riku-Ansem looked down at the unconscious Roxas, before a dark portal opened up next to Riku-Ansem. Riku-Ansem pulled up his hood, covering his face from the being that walked out: DiZ. DiZ looked at the unconscious Roxas, silent.

"DiZ," Riku-Ansem began. "He could feel Sora."

"Oh, he told you how he felt, did he?" DiZ retorted. "Ridiculous. A Nobody cannot feel anything."

"If he had met Sora, things might have been different," Riku-Ansem pointed out. Roxas just laid there, unconscious, as Riku-Ansem and DiZ picked him up and began to take him into the dark portal. As they did so, Xion's last words drifted into Roxas's subconscious for the final time in Roxas's life.

_Roxas. Don't be sad._

_I came from you and Sora._

_I am you._

_The same way that I am Sora._

_You'll forget me, but the memories themselves will never go away._

_Memories of you and me will always be together._

_Forever, inside him..._

And with that, Roxas was taken into the dark portal, never to be seen by Organization XIII (Sans Axel) ever again._  
_

**Abinixia is owned by khfangirl. She wanted her in, okay? Stop looking at me like that.**

**You know what's weird? This was the longest chapter in this story, and yet it took me the least amount of time to write...**

**Did I screw you all over royally with that ending? Told you it would make it to KH canon gaming if it ever existed. But there's still one chapter left. What could I possibly have left for you guys?**

**Well, find out whenever this occurs: 165 REVIEWS. Whenever we reach that status quo, you will truly find out the SECRET ENDING to Kingdom Hearts: For True Story. After all, you have to do insane things to find the Secret Endings of the other KH games, so this should be easy for you all. Tell other people to review, and soon enough, the true ending will be revealed!**

**REVIEW AND SEE YOU ALL ONE LAST TIME. XD**


	23. Hearts In Waiting

**This is the final chapter.**

**Kingdom Hearts: For True Story's true ending.**

**Enjoy...and thank you all for reading. (I actually thought you'd HATE the ending to the last chapter, so it was a relief to wake up to all those nice reviews. Thanks! I should've aimed for 175 to add more suspense, but...HERE IT IS!)  
**

_Chapter Twenty-Three: Hearts In Waiting_

How long had he been waiting? Who knows? To him, he had all the time he'd ever need. It's not like he'd care how long he'd have to wait anymore. It was already over for him from the start. He'd been tricked his whole life, or rather, half-life. Now all he needed was to make sure the Keyblade's Chosen was all he was cracked up to be. The last thing he wanted was to see Organization XIII win, but he knew he couldn't face them alone. If he could lose to Riku-Ansem, then there would be no doubt Organization XIII would finish him off, even with the loss of the Castle Oblivion team, along with the recent losses of Demyx, Xaldin, and Axel.

Axel.

His best friend.

A man in a black cloak stood atop the Memory's Skyscraper, clenching Oblivion and Oathkeeper together tightly. The sky, as it was always, was raining and thundering, lightning flashing within the dark clouds, barely illuminating their outlines. The man just looked to the sky, wondering if there really was a blue sky behind the black clouds.

Or maybe it was just space.

Maybe it just darkness.

Who knows? Probably the Organization, but like they'd ever tell him.

He was just a Nobody.

Lucky Number XIII, Marluxia called him. The man just gripped both blades tighter as he remembered his first couple of missions with the Organization.

"13 is no lucky number," the man spat out. "You should know that by now, Xemnas."

Continuing to look down upon the Dark City, the man saw a figure run across the base of the Memory's Skyscraper at high speeds. The man recognized him as the King, except he had on red-and-yellow clothing. The King was dashing past the Skyscraper, heading towards the Organization's Castle That Never Was. The man just looked away in disgust whenever the Castle got into his field of vision.

He never knew he could despise the color white so much.

Then again, it wasn't the paintjob of that dreary castle that mocked him. It was the inhabitants. Prefarably Xemnas and Sai"X.

The man flipped his hood back, revealing Roxas's face. Roxas just looked forwards at the dark horizon, taking the moment to think about something he had never thought about before. The stability of The World That Never Was.

"Is this world just doomed to fade like all Nobodies?" Roxas wondered out loud. He knew no one could hear him, so why bother thinking? "What's out there...beyond this city? Just more empty dark houses? Or maybe some fields? Are those fields storm-ravaged and water-logged like the rest of the city?"

Roxas just continued to stare off into the dark horizon, not even seeing a glimmer of light. "Or do Heartless not even we know about roam those plains?" Roxas wondered. Roxas looked downwards at the pavement below the Memory's Skyscraper, and he saw three beings walking across the pavement slowly. Roxas knew all three of them, although none of them knew him. Roxas did see walking behind the leader Donald and Goofy, but he didn't care. Those two were not his target. It was the leader itself he was after.

Sora, the Keyblade's Chosen. Roxas took note that instead of the usual red clothes he'd found him in at Twilight Town's mansion, this time he was wearing black clothing with yellow straps.

How Roxas loathed the color black as well.

Roxas took obvious note that Sora had become much more powerful; the whispering rumors he heard mere Dusks exchange with each other here in the Dark City must be true. Sora stopped and looked up at the large skyscraper, obviously sensing Roxas.

Or maybe it was just because the storm had let up and Kingdom Hearts was visible now.

Either way, it was time to figure out the last piece of information Roxas needed to know. Roxas flipped back up his hood and dismissed his Keyblades, before opening a dark portal behind him. It was time to finally test this so-called Keyblade Master's worth.

* * *

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all stood on the concrete ground, looking up past the leaving storm clouds to see Kingdom Hearts's glow for the first time. However, to them, Kingdom Hearts was just a moon to them; after all, they had no idea what it was...yet. Sora took a couple steps forward, ready to follow the King and end the threat of Organization XIII forever, when a shout from Donald behind him made him stop.

"SORA!" Donald shouted. Sora turned around immdiately, and he saw two Samurai Nobodies standing in front of Donald and Goofy, with their swords blocking their path.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora shouted. Sora tried to run to them, but the all-too-familiar sound of a dark portal appearing stopped him. Sora turned around, and saw (unbeknowst to him) Roxas walk out of the dark portal.

**(Cue The Other Promise.)**

Without so much as a cocky fighting line, Roxas summoned his Oblivion Keyblade, having it form in his right hand out of darkness instantly. Sora was suprised as he saw this, his jaw gaping.

"A...Keyblade!?" Sora shouted, amazed. Roxas took no time in charging towards Sora, about to slash downwards to strike him down. Sora got his own Keyblade up, and he blocked against the sudden attack. Roxas stared down at Sora, both of them now losing any ground, whenever a short flash of light appeared around the two fighters. Roxas jumped backwards as both he and Sora materialized within Sora's Station of Awakening. Sora was shocked at the sudden change in scenery; now he was standing on mere glass, surrounded by an endless dark abyss, with an Organization member standing in his way to destroy him.

What Roxas saw was just a test trial to see if Sora was all he was cracked up to be. Sora got his Keyblade ready, but Roxas made the first move by spinning his blades. Sora stood ready for combat, whenever Roxas threw out his two Keyblades in a spinning motion going around him that knocked Sora backwards.

"TAKE THAT!" Roxas shouted. Sora then tried to slice at Roxas, but Roxas merely turned into an illusion and moved out of the way. Sora went to his current position and tried to attack again, but Roxas jumped into the air. Sora looked up, only to see Roxas come down at him from directly above, spinning his Keyblades as he did so. Sora was blasted backwards, but he spun in mid-air and regained balance. Sora, damaged from the attack, cast a Cure spell on himself as Roxas became a mirage; Roxas flew right behind Sora and tried to do his first, spinning circle blade attack. Sora, however, countered and began unleashing his own combination attack on Roxas, sending him into the air. Sora continued with his combo attacks, hitting Roxas mercilessly, until he countered with his charging aerial spin blade attack. Sora dodged the attack, but was lightly damaged from getting sliced a tiny bit on the left side of his body. Sora spun back upwards and tried to attack Roxas, but Roxas turned into another illusion, came behind Sora, jumped upwards, and dashed downwards with his spinning blade attack.

"_Who is this guy!?" _Sora mentally shouted, as he ran backwards to get some distance. Roxas charged at him in his illusion form again, but this time Sora turned around and tried to slice at him.

Both could feel their hearts beating as they got closer to each other.

Their Keyblades were about to clash.

Roxas made the wrong move, however, as he attacked too early; Sora beat him into the air with a single swipe, and then he stuck his hand into the air.

"GIVE ME STRENGTH!" Sora shouted. Immdiately, Roxas saw both his Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblades fly down to Sora, forming a sort of combination sword with Oblivion facing one way and Oathkeeper facing the other. Roxas landed on the ground, and Sora unleashed his own standard striking attacks, with Roxas's own Keyblades flying at Roxas at lightspeed. Roxas was mercilessly bashed around like a rag doll. Roxas made several columns of light appear around him, before launching them at Sora to try and push him back. This manuever worked, as Sora was blasted backwards by the multiple columns of light. Sora cast a second Cure spell on himself to keep in the game, but now the columns of light appeared to be trapping him, preventing him from a straight direct attack to Roxas. Roxas turned illusory again and appeared behind Sora, before using the columns of light to repel Sora. However, Sora took his chances and broke through the columns sucessfully, before unleashing another three-Keyblade combination attack on Roxas, launching him into the air again. Sora tried to do a second combo in mid-air, but Roxas quickly landed and sent his columns of light flying in all directions. Sora was blasted back into the ground, still wielding Roxas's own Keyblades.

"_Man, this guy is tough!" _Sora angrily noted, as Roxas continued to shoot columns of light at Sora from his position. Sora dodged this attack, but now more columns of light began appearing around Sora, trying to entrap him. Sora ran out of the way as fast as he could, while Roxas turned into an illusion and tried to attack Roxas from behind while Sora was distracted with the columns of light.

"It's over!" Sora shouted, as he turned around, and began attacking Roxas with the three Keyblades. Roxas tried to move back, but he was caught in the frenzy of Keyblades and was slashed at repeatedly with all three Keyblades at once.

Strike after strike.

Blow after blow.

Enduring the pain as if it was nothing.

"_I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" _Roxas mentally shouted. Roxas kicked Sora away before reclaiming both of his Keyblades again. Roxas and Sora landed on seperate sides of the battlefield on the station, before they both charged at each other. Their Keyblades clashed in the center of the station, with neither one of them giving in.

"Who...who are you!?" Sora desperately asked. Roxas just continued to push back, before responding in a dark tone.

"Someone from the dark," Roxas answered. Both Roxas and Sora jumped back, as their current stalemate proved to be indecisive for the both of them. Roxas slowly stood up as a thought crossed Sora's mind at that moment.

A Keyblade wielder?

Someone from the dark...?

"You can't be...Riku?" Sora asked, hoping he was everything but that. Roxas, unknown to Sora, smirked within his dark hood, before looking slightly downwards at his Oathkeeper Keyblade.

"Riku? I defeated a Riku once..." Roxas revealed. That was definitely NOT what Sora wanted to hear at all, due to Sora's fist clenching up at that moment.

"What?" Sora asked, more suprised than scared. Sora should be scared however; if it took him that long to beat down Roxas, he would have no chance against Xemnas! Roxas just got his Keyblades into a battle stance, before speaking again, his voice slightly laced with curiosity.

"Tell me...tell me why he picked you!" Roxas demanded, before charging at Sora. Roxas's Keyblades dragged across the glass of the station, creating sparks at the tips clashed with the glass. Sora jumped backwards as he missed one slice from Roxas, before he used his own Keyblade to defend against another attack. Roxas tried to slash downwards at Sora with his Oblivion Keyblade, but Sora slammed his own Keyblade downwards into the Oblivion Keyblade, getting it stuck in the ground. Roxas tried to pull it free, but Sora kept his grip on his own Keyblade firm, keeping Oblivion stuck in the ground as it did so. Roxas then jumped into the air, with both his Keyblades, and fell behind Sora, who was trying to figure out how Roxas did that so effortlessly. While Sora was stunned, Roxas tried to cut at him, but Sora jumped into the air like Roxas.

"HA!" Sora grunted, getting ready to attack Roxas again. Roxas defended himself by blocking Sora's attack and sending him into the air, before he jumped into the air as well. Sora ended up upside-down as he saw Roxas charge at him again. Time seemed to slow down as the two got close to clashing. Whenever their Keyblades clashed, not one of them gave up an inch of their ground, despite them being in mid-air, and despite Roxas having the advantage of velocity from his jump. Roxas then pushed Sora to the ground, but Sora got his footing quickly, with no scratches on him. Roxas floated in the air effortlessly, looking down upon Sora on his own heart's station.

It was then he realized he just found the answer to his own question.

Where Sora was standing was between four light blue circle of his four closest friends.

The top left one was Goofy.

The top right contained Donald.

The bottom left had the smirking, but confident face of Riku.

And the bottom right one contained an image of Xion.

"_No...not Xion..." _Roxas thought. "_...the other girl...Kairi..."_

"I see. That's why," Roxas uttered. Sora just assumed Roxas was about to strike again, and he gripped his own Keyblade in a defensive stance, ready to counterattack, should Roxas strike inevitably again. Roxas dropped down quickly and slashed at Sora, but Sora jumped backwards, making the attack null and void. Roxas flew forwards, spinning his Keyblades like saws, making Sora continue to spin and fall back.

Perfect.

Roxas then managed to catch Sora off-guard, and he began clashing his Keyblades down upon Sora. Sora stuck up his lone Keyblade to defend against the onslaught of attacks. Roxas continued bringing down the stream of strikes, constantly hacking and slashing. Sora didn't give up his guard...but soon enough, he fell to one knee in exhaustion. Roxas then sliced his Oathkeeper Keyblade to the left, throwing Sora's own Keyblade out of his hands. Sora's Keyblade skittered across the ground of the station, landing somewhere in the middle. Sora, gawking, scrambled to his feet and charged for the blade, but Roxas stuck down Oathkeeper right inside the handle of Sora's Keyblade, making Sora skid to a halt on his own knees. Roxas pointed Oblivion at the unarmed Sora, the blade pointing directly at Sora's face. Sora looked on at him in disdain.

This man couldn't win!

Not when Riku, Kairi, and the worlds were on the line!

Sora looked down in semi-defeat, which was enough for Roxas. Roxas smirked under his hood, as he saw Sora helplessly reach for his Keyblade. Instantly, Sora's Keyblade disappeared. Roxas looked down, gawking himself.

"What!?" Roxas shouted. That lapse of concentration made it all for Sora, as he resummoned his own Keyblade in hand and sliced downwards, effectly slashing Roxas right down the left shoulderblade directly down to his left thigh. That large gash wasn't evident to Sora, thanks to his black cloak, but Roxas could feel the pain from the hit. Roxas stood there, as he dropped both his Keyblades in that instant; both of them disappeared as they hit the ground.

Sora...had won.

But, suprisingly, Roxas wasn't mad. In fact, he even smiled a bit as he staggered forwards, past Sora. As Roxas fell forwards past Sora, a bright flash overcame itself in Roxas's eyes. Even though the vision he saw was only for a split second, he would remember it for the rest of his existance...which probably wouldn't be pretty long anyway.

* * *

Roxas first found himself standing outside the mansion in Twilight Town. He was wearing his street clothes, and he recognized this scene in time instantly. This was his first memory. The time has was "born." In front of him, a dark portal opened, with a figure walking out to him. The figure looked down at Roxas, before giving off something that felt close to a smile.

"You seek answers...I can give you purpose..." the man chuckled, waving his hand in front of Roxas. Several, see-through ethereal letters appeared, spelling out the word "SORA." The man waved his hand again, and the words began spinning in a bright blue halo around Roxas. Before long, the figure stuck his hand out, and a golden ethereal see-through "X" appeared in the scrambling of words, forming out the words "ROXAS." Roxas looked up, before recognizing his new name. Or rather, since this was his memory, his old name.

"Roxas..." Roxas uttered. Looking up, Roxas saw the grinning face and tiger-orange eyes of Xemnas.

"That is right. The new you," Xemnas answered.

* * *

Roxas then found himself sitting on the side of the clock tower in Twilight Town, apparently deep in thought.

"_So...this is how it ends for me...fitting..." _Roxas thought. However, a voice spoke to him that snapped him out of his trance.

"Finally woke up?" Axel sarcastically asked. Roxas, gasping out of suprise, looked to his right and saw Axel standing erect on the edge of the station tower.

"Axel!" Roxas shouted. Both he and Roxas kept silent, as Axel watched the sunset in the horizon of Twilight Town. Roxas turned to see the sunset as well, continuing to go back into his train of thought.

"Nope...maybe you're going back to sleep..." Axel sighed, realizing Roxas was fading away in the real world. "Soon I won't even be able to talk to your consciousness like this."

Roxas looked down at his two feet, sad...yet strangely happy and accepting of his fate. "I...I'm going back to how I was," Roxas realized. Axel then sat down next to Roxas, listening intently.

"I've thought about it a lot. Namine said the same thing," Roxas mentioned.

"Roxas," Axel spoke up. "You have a heart, don't you? While Namine and I...we don't really have hearts, do we?"

Roxas looked back down at his feet, unsure. "I...I don't know either," Roxas answered. Axel looked back to his feet, a bit disappointed.

"I guess not..." Axel sighed.

"But," Roxas continued. "...the heart's not something you can see. I've started wondering whether it's something you can't feel either...if so, then...nah, never mind."

"Hm? What're you getting at?" Axel chuckled, a small smirk coming across his face. Roxas lifted his head slowly, smiling a bit as he did so as he looked to the sunsetting horizon, feeling...happiness, even in his final hour existing as something else.

"I'm sure Sora'll find the answer," Roxas pointed out. "Because he's me."

Axel released a small, yet audible, chuckle, as his head turned away from Roxas and back to the sunset. "Yep, that's true," Axel agreed. Roxas looked back down at his feet again, until something caught his eye. Looking back up, Roxas saw Axel holding two ice cream bars in both of his hands. Axel handed one over to Roxas, whom smiled and took it from him. Both of them began eating the ice cream one last time.

"_Hehe...to think something so insignificant...could mean so much...even to a Nobody like myself," _Roxas thought. "_Strange...I have this feeling that we used to do this with someone else...no. We did. Xion...does Axel remember her? ...probably, but it'd be rude to ask. After all, it wouldn't matter at this point anyway..."_

"This really takes me back," Axel started up again. "Do you remember? We first met the day you got your new name. And then we watched the sunset from up here."

"Yeah," Roxas answered. "This is where I came from. Everyone...Hayner, Pence, Olette...I hope they're okay."

"You should go and see them again, looking for your answer," Axel suggested. Roxas chuckled.

"Yeah...so, I have to go," Roxas mentioned, now with confidence and...pride? "Sora's waiting for me."

Axel sighed. "Yeah, I guess he is..." Axel took a bite of his ice cream as he did so, trying to change the subject. "Woah, this ice-cream really IS salty!"

Roxas and Axel sat there, taking in the last view of the sunset together. "_So...he can't remember Xion...ah, well. She's still our friend. And she DID say she was going to return to Sora...who knows? Maybe I'll meet her there. And then I can introduce her to Namine!" _Roxas happily thought. Roxas, now seeing a bright light appear around him and Axel, turned to Axel, smiling.

"See you, Axel," Roxas chuckled, as the light began to grow brighter.

"See ya, partner," Axel sadly, yet surely, mentioned. As the light grew brighter, a single tear dropped to the concrete of the station's ledge, but its previous host tearduct would forever go unknown.

* * *

Roxas staggered past Sora in his mind station, his hood flipping backwards as it did so. Sora turned around to face the man in the cloak, as Roxas regained his balance and stood erect. The light began to shine around the station, signaling Sora would awaken soon. Sora never did get a clear look at Roxas's face, but Roxas knew all too well Sora shouldn't have to care. He'll probably think this battle was some sort of dream in a moment anyway, since Sora was close to returning back to the Memory's Skyscraper in a few seconds. Roxas turned his head slowly to Sora, revealing half of his face to Sora. Sora stood there, confused, as Roxas smiled.

"_I know you're in there somewhere Xion. Someday we'll meet. Hopefully," _Roxas mentally chuckled. "_But for now, have a good time. Be sure to give Sai"X a hard smack in the face for me."_

As Sora and Roxas made eye contact for the brief amount of time they had, Roxas just smiled and uttered his last few words to Sora before he disappeared forever.

"You make a good other."

* * *

Sora was let out back at the Memory's Skyscraper again, staring straight in the direction he was facing before Roxas appeared to battle him.

"You make a good other...?" Sora asked himself, curious. Donald and Goofy, unharmed, walked up to Sora from behind.

"Are you okay?" Donald asked.

"What...just happened?" Sora asked, wondering himself if he was okay or not.

"Gawrsh, I dunno," Goofy answered. "You just disappeared. Then me and Donald had to fight some Nobodies."

"Oh," Sora sighed. "He said...he defeated Riku..."

"Who said that?" Donald questioned, not beleiving it for a minute.

"That guy. In the black coat," Sora answered, turning back to his friends.

"But nobody can defeat Riku," Donald reminded Sora.

"Y-yeah, you're right," Sora agreed, a bit unsure of what Roxas had meant. Sora then turned to face both Goofy and Donald, instead of just keeping his head twisted to them like an owl.

"The black coat meant Organization XIII," Goofy pointed out. "He must've been trying to trick ya!"

"Yeah, that must be why we didn't see him!" Donald agreed. This stunned Sora with confusion.

"_Didn't...see him?" _Sora wondered. "Huh?"

"You must be tired, Sora," Donald deducted.

"Come on. Let's just find a way to get into that castle!" Goofy reminded Sora. Donald and Goofy then passed up Sora and began walking towards the pathway the King had previously been on, to head towards the Castle That Never Was. Sora turned and walked with them, but halfway there he stopped. Turning around and looking back at the area he was just at, he tried to see if Roxas was still there.

But, like usual, nothing was there to greet him.

Sora shrugged and turned back, walking with Donald and Goofy to the Castle That Never Was. The storm clouds above the Dark City continued to rumble, but for the first time in their existance, they didn't drop rain.

* * *

Inside the Castle That Never Was, several tombstones were seen in the area. All sans for Xemnas's, but he didn't have one.

Xigbar's, Sai"X's, and Luxord's gravestones remained light blue, signaling their continued existance.

Xaldin's, Vexen's, Lexaeus's, Zexion's, Axel's, Demyx's, Marluxia's, and Larxene's gravestones were all a bloody red, signaling their already faded existance.

Yet despite the oddity of what had happened at the Memory's Skyscraper just moments ago, Roxas's tombstone remained blue and bright.

Probably because Roxas and Sora were one and the same, and Sora was still walking.

Or maybe it was because Roxas never really faded at all...maybe he still lives somewhere, planning to go to the beach with Hayner, Pence, and Olette; maybe he still is bullied by Seifer, Fuu, Rai, and Vivi at the Sandlot; maybe he still exists somewhere, deep inside Sora's heart, in a place not even Sora could reach.

But who knows?

After all, who truly cares for a Nobody?

**WARNING: RELATIVELY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE AHEAD**

**I know its cheating, using a cutscene as a chapter (as well as the battle itself), but I thought THAT'D be the perfect ending for Kingdom Hearts: For True Story.**

**I hope you all enjoyed this what-if fic. If you want to see more What-If's, check out Sonic X: For True Story, also by me. Thanks to all of you guys, I've grown confident in the fanfiction world, along with these what-if fics.**

**However, I must give special thanks to several people.**

**1) First off, special thanks to Tetsuya Nomura and all the people at Square Enix and Disney, for coming up with such a genius RPG that mixed together characters, old and new, quite effortlessly. All I did was make my own story out of the story elements given to me, and it was all thanks to your awesome minds that this was possible.**

**2) Secondly, I want to give special thanks to the people and staff of itself. I never would've been able to find a way to vent all my anger from the sad ending of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days if it wasn't for you guys! You all really live up to your motto of "Unleash Your Imagination!" Thank you!**

**3) Third, I want to give thanks to the musical masterpieces of Yoko Shimomura and the band of Crush 40 for both of your great tunes! The fanfic wouldn't have been half as memorable without lyrics from "Fight The Knight" and "What I'm Made Of," and the classic, lyricless tunes of you, Yoko, helped make this fic even better (even if the reader DIDN'T open a second tab, but whatever. XD)**

**4) Finally, I want to give a big shout out to all those who reviewed this story, anonymous or not. From the VERY first reviewer (kittie reviewer) to all you constant reviewers (khfangirl, Riku Uzumaki, Slop Doggy, BornFromDarkness, Furryfur, and all others!) out there. You have all given me MAJOR inspiration for the series in more ways than one! I would also like to thank the reviews from a critical eye, such as Abe95's recent review. No matter if the review sounded positive, negative, or (as NinjaSheik always says "COOL~!"), it all helped contribute to the end of Kingdom Hearts: For True Story!**

**5) DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, ANY OR ALL MUSICS USED IN THIS FANFICTION, BE THEY WITH OR WITHOUT LYRICS. I DO NOT OWN ROXAS, ORGANIZATION XIII, THE HEARTLESS, THE NOBODIES, THE UNIVERSED, OR ANYTHING ELSE RELATED TO THE KINGDOM HEARTS FRANCHISE IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE. The only things I do own were the OC Replica Nobodies introduced in Chapter Four. Also, I don't own Abinixia. She's khfangirl's property...and apparently Zexion's property too. XD**

**Well...I don't beleive it. It's finally over. All of it. And to think, the original plot had Ansem as the final villain...amazing how things can change quickly and unexpectedly.**

**Anyways, tell me your favorite moments! Your best jokes (they're there, they're just subtle)! Your favorite villains! Favorite moves! Anything you beleived worth mentioning in the review!**

**As of right now, this story has reached over 12,000 HITS. OH EM GEE. This is officially my best story ever written. I just hope you all, whenever you're on the FF site years from now, you come back and find this and read it again, just to reminisce.**

**Because stuff like this, no matter HOW memorable, can fade from memory as simple as that.**

**And now...the final time I will ask you this...(takes in deep breath)...**

**REVIEW! And thank you for reading Kingdom Hearts: For True Story!**

**(you get 10,000 munny XD)  
**


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